SURFACE INTEGRITY AND SURFACE-STRUCTURE O F GROUND ALUMINA CERAMIC

During the sintering process ceramics undergo a volumetric shrinkage a nd thus are far from meeting high demands on their form and size accur acy. To meet these demands in most cases finishing processes with diam onds are necessary. The machining processes influence the surface topo graphy as well as the surface integrity of the components. The surface integrity of machined ceramics can be characterised by cracks and res idual stresses. In order to improve the knowledge about surface layers of machined ceramics this paper describes the influence of the grindi ng process on surface structure and surface integrity. The influence o f the setting quantities of the process on crack population and residu al stresses and stress gradients will be discussed.