Abstract
Advanced structural ceramics, such as silicon nitride-based materials, are of significant interest due to their excellent physical and mechanical properties. However, the conventional grinding of these ceramics can result in surface and subsurface damage to the material, these defects can significantly reduce the strength and reliability of the finished component and are sensitive to grinding parameters. In this investigation, the effect of finish electrolytic in-process dressing (ELID) grinding on the micro-fracture characteristics of silicon nitride (Si_3N_4) specimens were studied. High-quality Si_3N_4 (Kyocera's silicon nitride SN 235) surfaces were fabricated in this study using the ELID technique, achieving a typical surface roughness of around Ra 0.0082 μm using a #30000 wheel. The ELID grinding of Si_3N_4 produced excellent results in terms of micro fracture characteristics.
