Sliding Tribological Behaviors of Cu and Fe against Si₃N₄ under Electrolysis

Abstract

Electrolytic in-Process Dressing (ELID) has been found to have wide application especially in superfine grinding, but its mechanism is still unclarified yet. Simulation experiments were conducted by using an electrolysis friction test machine, which is a ball-on-disk friction machine equipped with an electrolyzing system. Copper, which is one of the most widely used metal bond materials of super abrasive wheels, and iron, one of the most widely used bond materials in ELID, were tested in three different types of electrolyte: tap water, electrolyzed water, and solution of CG-7 to tap water. Experimental results showed that there was almost no detectable wear for both copper and iron when electrolysis was not implemented, and also the material removal was little when only electrolysis was applied. Strong synergistic effect between electrolysis and friction was observed for copper in both tap water and electrolyzed water, and for iron in electrolyzed water and CG-7 solution. The friction coefficient of Si₃N₄ ball against iron disk was lower than that against copper disk.