Advanced grinding technologies for silicon carbide ceramic: A review

Silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics have been widely used in industry due to their superior properties and excellent performance. Grinding is the key method to manufacture SiC to the desired shape, dimension, and surface quality. Grinding defects such as pits and cracks are easy to cause SiC strength degradation. In this paper, the advanced grinding technologies for SiC ceramics, including high-speed grinding, ultrasonic vibration-assisted grinding, laser-assisted grinding, and electrolytic in-process dressing grinding, are reviewed. The characteristics and machine tool setups of each advanced grinding technology are analyzed and compared with traditional grinding technology to reveal the advantages. The latest research on surface integrity, material removal mechanism, simulation, and other related studies are reviewed to express the fundamental theory in each advanced grinding technology. Finally, the key innovation and future research areas for all advanced grinding technologies are drawn in the conclusion.