Citation:
M.H. Raffles, D.J. Stephenson, P. Shore, and T. Jin. Electrolytic in-process dressing superfinishing of spherical bearings using
metal-resin bond ultra-fine CBN wheels. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture, January 1, 2011, vol. 225, no. 1, pp112-122.
Abstract:
The use of electrolytic in-process dressing (ELID) superfinishing has been
investigated with the aim of substantially improving surface finish on spherical
bearing balls as well as reducing process times. Using ELID in a superfinishing
configuration is substantially different from the more conventional precision
grinding set-up. With this ELID superfinishing system, metal-resin bonded (MRB)
wheels containing very small superabrasives (30 to 0.12 μm) were employed.
Surface finishes of 2 nm Ra were achieved with a #12 000 wheel, an order of
magnitude better than balls produced using the conventional production
techniques of barrelling or polishing. Consistently sub-10 nm Ra finishes were
achieved with a #2000 wheel. Different ways of using the ELID system, including
ELID 1, ELID 2, and ELID 3, were studied to examine how the different types
control the cutting condition at the wheel's surface. It is the ability to
control easily the cutting condition of superabrasives of this size that allows
mirror surface finishes to be efficiently produced. Monitoring of wheel spindle
and ELID power usage was found to provide useful information in assessing the
wheel c
