Experimental investigations on the impact of different laser macro-structured diamond grinding wheels on alumina ceramic

Laser ablation with pulsed lasers achieves high geometrical flexibility and allows for fabrication of macro scale structures. In the present paper, a novel laser structuring method using pulsed laser is proposed and applied to produce certain macro patterns on the surface of diamond grinding wheel. Grinding performance and wear behavior of the structured grinding wheel are tested. It is found that the type of surface pattern has a strong influence on the grinding results. In particular, the differences in grinding force, grinding force ratio, and surface roughness obtained under laser macro-structured grinding (LMSG) and conventional grinding (CG) conditions are compared and discussed. Meanwhile, the laser-structured grinding wheels generally allow for a reduction of grinding forces by up to 24.5%. However, depending on the pattern geometry, the improvement for surface roughness is not obvious. The macroscopic surface topography of the structured grinding wheel is observed using a three-dimensional (3D) microscope with an ultra-large depth-of-field. According to the experimental results, the wear of the groove edge is aggravated. The groove wear does not reveal a significant increase in wear of the structured grinding wheel.