SURFACE-ROUGHNESS AND MATERIAL REMOVAL RATE OF LAPPING PROCESS ON CERAMICS

Lapping is a widely used surface finishing process for ceramics. An ex perimental investigation is conducted into the lapping of alumina, Ni- Zn ferrite and sodium silicate glass using SiC abrasive to study the e ffect of process parameters, such as abrasive particle size, lapping p ressure, and abrasive concentration, on the surface roughness and mate rial removal rate during lapping. A simple model is developed based on the indentation fracture and abrasive particle distribution in the sl urry to explain various aspects of the lapping process. The model prov ides predictions for the surface roughness, R-a and R-t, on the machin ed surface and rough estimation for the material removal rate during l apping. Comparison of the predictions with the experimental measuremen ts reveals same order of magnitude accuracy.