A ceramic ball grinding device

Abstract

A ceramic ball grinding device belongs to the field of grinding technology. Existing ceramic ball surface grinding methods suffer from high cost, long preparation and processing times, and damage to brittle materials. This application includes a working platform, a rotatable support, and three grinding mechanisms. One grinding mechanism is mounted on the working platform to support and grind the ceramic ball. The rotatable support is located above the one grinding mechanism and can move up and down and rotate. The other two grinding mechanisms are mounted on the rotatable support and symmetrically arranged on both sides of the grinding ball. The ceramic ball is placed on the grinding mechanism mounted on the working platform, and the other two grinding mechanisms move down and fit against the surface of the ceramic ball. The three grinding mechanisms grind the ceramic ball simultaneously. The rotatable support drives the other two grinding mechanisms to rotate, so that the surface of the ceramic ball is simultaneously ground by both revolution and rotation. This application is mainly used for grinding the surface of ceramic balls.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of grinding technology, and in particular relates to a ceramic ball grinding device with precise pressure control. Background Technology

[0002] Ceramic balls are spherical components made of ceramic materials (such as alumina, aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, etc.) through high-temperature sintering. Due to their unique physical and chemical properties such as high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, high hardness and wear resistance, they have a wide range of applications in the industrial field.

[0003] Ceramic balls are mainly divided into two types according to their uses: structural ceramic balls, used for mechanical support, such as bearing rolling elements; and functional ceramic balls, used for chemical fillers, grinding media, scientific research, etc. The manufacturing process of ceramic balls mainly involves the following steps: powder preparation, molding and sintering, and precision machining. Precision machining is a crucial step in controlling the surface roughness of ceramic balls. Controlling the surface roughness of ceramic balls can improve friction and wear performance, extend fatigue life, and ensure functional reliability, thus significantly impacting the performance of ceramic balls. Firstly, it can reduce friction and wear. When the roughness is too high, the micro-protrusions on the ceramic surface exacerbate the micro-cutting of the metal mating parts, accelerating wear. Controlling it to the optimal value increases the actual contact area, reduces stress concentration, and reduces the overall wear rate by more than 30%. Secondly, it can improve service life. Surface roughness is a major origin of fatigue cracks; controlling surface roughness can effectively improve the rolling contact fatigue life of bearings. Thirdly, it also has a significant impact on ensuring functional performance. In new energy bearings, excessive roughness can lead to electrolytic corrosion failure, etc. Therefore, controlling the surface roughness of ceramic balls is of great importance in many industrial applications. Currently, methods for controlling the surface roughness of ceramic balls include V-groove grinding, magnetohydrodynamic polishing, and ultrasonic-assisted polishing. These methods suffer from high costs, long preparation and processing times, and the risk of damage to brittle materials. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, this application provides a ceramic ball grinding device that allows the surface of the ceramic ball to be ground by both revolution and rotation simultaneously, thereby improving the grinding accuracy.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted in this application is as follows:

[0006] A ceramic ball grinding device includes a working platform, a rotatable support, and three grinding mechanisms. One grinding mechanism is mounted on the working platform for supporting and grinding the ceramic ball. The rotatable support is located above the one grinding mechanism and can move up and down and rotate. The other two grinding mechanisms are mounted on the rotatable support and symmetrically arranged on both sides of the grinding ball. The ceramic ball is placed on the grinding mechanism mounted on the working platform, and the other two grinding mechanisms move down and fit against the surface of the ceramic ball. The three grinding mechanisms grind the ceramic ball simultaneously. The rotatable support drives the other two grinding mechanisms to rotate, so that the surface of the ceramic ball is simultaneously ground by both revolution and rotation.

[0007] Furthermore, the rotatable support includes an L-shaped connector, a first stepper motor, and a mounting base. The first stepper motor is fixedly mounted on the L-shaped connector, and the mounting base is located below the L-shaped connector and fixedly connected to the motor shaft of the first stepper motor. The other two grinding mechanisms are symmetrically mounted on the mounting base.

[0008] Furthermore, the mounting base includes a left support plate, a horizontal support plate, and a right support plate connected in sequence. The left support plate and the right support plate are symmetrically arranged with the horizontal support plate as the center, and the angle between the left support plate and the horizontal support plate is greater than 90 degrees, and the angle between the right support plate and the horizontal support plate is greater than 90 degrees.

[0009] Furthermore, the grinding mechanism includes a second stepper motor, a pressure sensor, a piezoelectric ceramic driver, a flexible coupling, a grinding wheel, and a housing. The motor housing of the second stepper motor is mounted on the work platform, the left support plate, or the right support plate. The motor shaft of the second stepper motor is connected to the housing. The pressure sensor, the piezoelectric ceramic driver, and the flexible coupling are sequentially arranged inside the housing and connected in sequence. The flexible coupling is connected to the grinding wheel.

[0010] Furthermore, the abrasive includes an upper stepped cylinder and a lower cylinder coaxially connected, the upper stepped cylinder being inserted into the lower cylinder and having an interference fit with the lower cylinder, and the upper stepped cylinder being filled with abrasive paste.

[0011] Furthermore, it also includes a longitudinal propulsion mechanism, which is installed on the work platform and connected to the rotatable support to drive the rotatable support to move up and down.

[0012] Furthermore, the longitudinal propulsion mechanism includes a support frame, a drive motor, a lead screw, a nut, and a slider. The support frame is vertically mounted on the work platform, the drive motor is mounted on the top of the support frame, the lead screw is rotatably mounted on the support frame, the nut is screwed onto the lead screw and fixedly connected to the slider, and a groove is provided on the support frame along its length, allowing the slider to slide within the groove. A rotatable support is mounted on the slider.

[0013] The beneficial effects of this application compared to the prior art are:

[0014] 1. This application designs three grinding mechanisms based on the generative machining principle. By precisely controlling the relative motion between the grinding wheel and the workpiece, the desired machined surface is generated through the envelope or trajectory of this motion. It does not rely on the shape of the mold, but rather on the concept of "shape creation through motion," making it particularly suitable for machining complex curved surfaces. One grinding mechanism serves as both the bottom support for the ceramic ball and the surface grinding of the ceramic ball. The other two grinding mechanisms are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the ceramic ball, which increases the grinding area on the ceramic ball surface, accelerates the grinding efficiency, and ensures uniform force on the ceramic ball during grinding, guaranteeing the quality of the grinding. Furthermore, the rotatable support design allows the two upper grinding mechanisms to revolve around the center line of the ceramic ball, while also rotating on their own axes. This means the ceramic ball surface is simultaneously ground by both revolution and rotation, ensuring uniform grinding of the ceramic ball surface and improving grinding accuracy.

[0015] 2. The grinding mechanism of this application employs a flexible coupling design, which allows for low-pressure elastic pressure on the ceramic balls. Compared to the high-pressure grinding of ultrasonic-assisted grinding, this reduces defects such as pits and snowflake-like spalling on the surface of brittle ceramics like silicon nitride. Furthermore, by controlling the height of the upper grinding mechanism, the spring compression of the flexible coupling can be adjusted, thereby regulating the pressure applied to the ceramic ball surface. The lower grinding mechanism, lacking a flexible coupling, ensures stable support for the ceramic balls. Additionally, the use of grinding paste is less expensive and simpler in structure than magnetohydrodynamic polishing, reducing the difficulty of using and installing the device.

[0016] 3. During the grinding process of ceramic balls, the grinding pressure significantly affects the material removal rate. Excessive pressure leads to increased surface roughness, surface scratches, microcracks, and other surface damage; insufficient pressure results in a very low removal rate and low grinding efficiency; uneven pressure leads to uneven grinding, causing problems such as poor roundness and roughness control. The grinding mechanism of this application adopts a piezoelectric ceramic actuator design, which can adjust the voltage value of the piezoelectric ceramic actuator and the compression of the spring coupling, thereby effectively controlling the pressure of the grinding wheel. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this application, are provided to further illustrate this application.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a ceramic ball grinding device according to this application.

[0019] Figure 2 This is an assembly drawing of three grinding structures and a rotatable support.

[0020] Figure 3This is a cross-sectional view of the three grinding structures assembled with the rotatable support.

[0021] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0022] Work platform 1;

[0023] Rotatable support 2, L-shaped connector 21, first stepper motor 22, mounting base 23, left side support plate 231, horizontal support plate 232, right side support plate 233;

[0024] Longitudinal propulsion mechanism 3, support frame 31, drive motor 32, lead screw shaft 33, nut 34, slider 35;

[0025] Grinding mechanism 4, second stepper motor 41, flexible coupling 42, grinding wheel 43, upper stepped cylinder 431, lower cylinder 432, pressure sensor 44, piezoelectric ceramic actuator 45. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The invention described in this application will be explained in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0027] This embodiment of a ceramic ball grinding device is mainly used to grind the surface of ceramic balls, increasing the smoothness of the ceramic ball surface. Figure 1 It includes a working platform 1, a rotatable support 2, a longitudinal propulsion mechanism 3, and three grinding mechanisms. The longitudinal propulsion mechanism 3 is mounted on the working platform 1 and connected to the rotatable support 2, used to drive the rotatable support 2 to move up and down. One grinding mechanism is mounted on the working platform 1 and located below the rotatable support 2, used to support and grind the ceramic ball. For ease of description below, this grinding mechanism is referred to as the lower grinding mechanism. The other two grinding mechanisms are mounted on the rotatable support 2 and can rotate with the rotatable support 2. These two grinding mechanisms are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the ceramic ball and are attached to the surface of the ceramic ball to grind the surface of the ceramic ball; similarly, for ease of description, these two grinding mechanisms are referred to as the upper grinding mechanisms.

[0028] During the grinding process, the ceramic ball is placed on the lower grinding mechanism 5, and then the rotatable support 2 is driven downward by the longitudinal propulsion mechanism 3. The two upper grinding mechanisms move downward synchronously with the rotatable support 2 until they are close to the ceramic ball, at which point the ceramic ball is positioned in the middle of the three grinding mechanisms. The two upper grinding mechanisms are then driven to fit against the surface of the ceramic ball, and all three grinding mechanisms are activated to grind the surface of the ceramic ball. During the grinding process, the rotatable support 2 rotates the two upper grinding mechanisms to achieve comprehensive grinding of the ceramic ball surface, ensuring the precision of the ceramic ball grinding.

[0029] This embodiment features three grinding mechanisms. One mechanism serves as both the bottom support for the ceramic ball and the surface grinding of the ball. The other two mechanisms are symmetrically positioned on either side of the ceramic ball. This increases the grinding area and speeds up the grinding process, while also ensuring uniform force distribution and consistent grinding quality. Furthermore, the rotatable support 2 allows the two upper grinding mechanisms to revolve around the center line a of the ceramic ball, while simultaneously rotating on their own axes. This means the ceramic ball surface is ground by both revolution and rotation, ensuring uniform grinding and improving precision.

[0030] See Figure 1 The longitudinal propulsion mechanism 3 in this embodiment includes a support frame 31, a drive motor 32, a lead screw 33, a nut 34, and a slider 35. The support frame 31 is vertically mounted on the work platform 1. The drive motor 32 is mounted on the top of the support frame 31. The lead screw 33 is arranged along the length of the support frame 31 and rotatably mounted on the support frame 31. The nut 34 is screwed to the lead screw 33 and fixedly connected to the slider 35. A groove is provided on the support frame 31 along its length, and the slider 35 can slide within the groove. A rotatable support 2 is mounted on the slider 35. The drive motor 32 drives the lead screw 33 to rotate, and the nut 34 moves along the axis of the lead screw 33 under the limitation of the slider 35 and the groove, thereby driving the slider 35 and the rotatable support 2 to move up and down, thus realizing the adjustment of the distance between the two upper grinding mechanisms and the ceramic ball.

[0031] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 The rotatable support 2 in this embodiment includes an L-shaped connector 21, a first stepper motor 22, and a mounting base 23. The vertical plate of the L-shaped connector 21 is fixedly mounted on the slider 35, and the motor housing of the first stepper motor 22 is fixedly mounted on the horizontal plate of the L-shaped connector 21. The mounting base 23 is located below the L-shaped connector 21 and is fixedly connected to the motor shaft of the first stepper motor 22. When the first stepper motor 22 drives the mounting base 23 to rotate, the mounting base 23 drives the two upper grinding mechanisms on it to rotate, thereby realizing the revolution of the two upper grinding mechanisms.

[0032] In this embodiment, the mounting base 23 is a bracket with a trapezoidal cross-section. Specifically, it includes a left support plate 231, a transverse support plate 232, and a right support plate 233 connected in sequence. The left support plate 231 and the right support plate 233 are respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the ceramic ball. The included angle between the left support plate 231 and the transverse support plate 232 is 120 degrees, and the included angle between the right support plate 233 and the transverse support plate 232 is also 120 degrees. This allows the two upper grinding mechanisms to be mounted on the left support plate 231 and the right support plate 233 respectively, and to be perpendicular to the surfaces of the left support plate 231 and the right support plate 233. Furthermore, the grinding wheels of the two upper grinding mechanisms can extend to the surface of the ceramic ball and exert positive pressure on the surface of the ceramic ball.

[0033] See Figure 3 The grinding mechanism 4 in this embodiment includes a second stepper motor 41, a pressure sensor 44, a piezoelectric ceramic driver 45, a flexible coupling 42, a grinding wheel 43, and a housing 46. The motor housing of the second stepper motor 41 is mounted on the working platform 1, the left support plate 231, or the right support plate 233. The motor shaft of the second stepper motor 41 is connected to the housing 46. The pressure sensor 44, the piezoelectric ceramic driver 45, and the flexible coupling 42 are sequentially arranged inside the housing 46 and connected in sequence. The flexible coupling 42 is connected to the grinding wheel 43.

[0034] In this embodiment, the grinding pressure can be obtained in real time through the pressure sensor 44. The pressure sensor transmits the pressure value back to the terminal. The Arduino program reads the force value measured by the pressure sensor and compares it with the expected pressure value. Based on the deviation value, the signal input of the high voltage amplifier is controlled, and the voltage value of the piezoelectric ceramic driver 45 is adjusted to control the elongation of the piezoelectric ceramic driver 45. This controls the compression of the spring coupling 42, thereby further precisely controlling the grinding pressure of the ceramic ball and realizing the precision grinding of the ceramic ball surface.

[0035] Among them, combined Figure 3In this embodiment, the abrasive tool 43 includes an upper stepped cylinder 431 and a lower cylinder 432 coaxially connected. The upper stepped cylinder 431 is inserted into the lower cylinder 432 and is press-fitted with it. The lower cylinder 432 is connected to the flexible coupling 42 or the motor shaft of the second stepper motor 41 by screws. In use, the upper stepped cylinder 431 is filled with polishing paste, and the abrasive tool 43 polishes the surface of the ceramic ball using the polishing paste. In some embodiments, the upper stepped cylinder 431 and the lower cylinder 432 are made of polytetrafluoroethylene. The outer diameter of the lower stepped cylinder is 20 mm, and the inner diameter is 13 mm. The maximum outer diameter of the upper stepped cylinder 431 is 13 mm, the minimum outer diameter is 9 mm, and the inner diameter is 7 mm. By changing the size of the upper stepped cylinder 431 and the height of the upper polishing mechanism, polishing of ceramic balls with a diameter of less than 13 mm can be achieved.

[0036] During grinding, grinding paste is filled into the upper stepped cylinder 431 of the grinding wheel 43. Then, the stepper motors of the three grinding mechanisms are started simultaneously. The second stepper motor 41 drives the grinding wheel 43 to rotate through the flexible coupling 42. The grinding paste in the grinding wheel 43 grinds the surface of the ceramic ball. As the ceramic ball is ground, the flexible coupling 42 can push the grinding wheel 43 to move towards the ceramic ball side so that the grinding paste can always contact the surface of the ceramic ball to grind it.

[0037] In this embodiment, the upper grinding mechanism employs a flexible coupling 42, which allows for low-pressure elastic pressure on the ceramic ball. Compared to the high-pressure grinding of ultrasonic-assisted grinding, this reduces defects such as pits and snowflake-like spalling on the surface of brittle ceramics like silicon nitride. Furthermore, by controlling the height of the upper grinding mechanism, the spring compression of the flexible coupling 42 can be adjusted, thereby regulating the pressure applied to the ceramic ball surface by the flexible coupling 42. The lower grinding mechanism 5 does not have a flexible coupling 42, ensuring stable support for the ceramic ball. Additionally, the use of grinding paste is less expensive and simpler in structure than magnetohydrodynamic polishing, reducing the difficulty of using and installing the device.

[0038] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions created in this application, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions created in this application without departing from the substance and scope of the technical solutions created in this application.

Claims

1. A ceramic ball grinding device, characterized in that, The device includes a working platform, a rotatable support, and three grinding mechanisms. One grinding mechanism is mounted on the working platform to support and grind ceramic balls. The rotatable support is located above the one grinding mechanism and can move up and down and rotate. The other two grinding mechanisms are mounted on the rotatable support and symmetrically arranged on both sides of the grinding ball. The ceramic ball is placed on the one grinding mechanism mounted on the working platform. The other two grinding mechanisms move down and fit against the surface of the ceramic ball, and all three grinding mechanisms grind the ceramic ball simultaneously. The rotatable support drives the other two grinding mechanisms to rotate, so that the surface of the ceramic ball is simultaneously ground by both revolution and rotation. The rotatable support includes an L-shaped connector, a first stepper motor, and a mounting base. The first stepper motor is fixedly mounted. On the L-shaped connector, a mounting base is located below the L-shaped connector and is fixedly connected to the motor shaft of the first stepper motor; the other two grinding mechanisms are symmetrically mounted on the mounting base; the mounting base includes a left support plate, a transverse support plate, and a right support plate connected in sequence, with the left and right support plates symmetrically arranged around the transverse support plate; the grinding mechanism includes a second stepper motor, a pressure sensor, a piezoelectric ceramic driver, a flexible coupling, a grinding wheel, and a housing, with the motor housing of the second stepper motor respectively mounted on the working platform, the left support plate, and the right support plate, and the motor shaft of the second stepper motor connected to the housing, the pressure sensor, the piezoelectric ceramic driver, and the flexible coupling sequentially arranged inside the housing and connected in sequence, and the flexible coupling connected to the grinding wheel.

2. The ceramic ball grinding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The angle between the left support plate and the horizontal support plate is controlled at 120 degrees, and the angle between the right support plate and the horizontal support plate is controlled at 120 degrees.

3. The ceramic ball grinding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The abrasive includes an upper stepped cylinder and a lower cylinder coaxially connected. The upper stepped cylinder is inserted into the lower cylinder and is interference-fitted with the lower cylinder. The upper stepped cylinder is filled with abrasive paste.

4. The ceramic ball grinding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a longitudinal propulsion mechanism, which is installed on the working platform and connected to the rotatable support to drive the rotatable support to move up and down.

5. A ceramic ball grinding device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The longitudinal propulsion mechanism includes a support frame, a drive motor, a lead screw, a nut, and a slider. The support frame is vertically mounted on the work platform, the drive motor is mounted on the top of the support frame, the lead screw is rotatably mounted on the support frame, the nut is screwed onto the lead screw and fixedly connected to the slider, and a groove is provided on the support frame along its length, allowing the slider to slide within the groove. A rotatable support is mounted on the slider.

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