Ceramic Ball Surface Roughness Profile for Faster Chip-Free Polishing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ceramic ball materials used in bearing applications are prone to chipping during machining due to their brittleness and require prolonged processing times to avoid corner contact with surface plates, leading to inefficiencies in manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
A ceramic ball material with a spherical portion and a band-shaped portion formed over its circumference, featuring a surface roughness ratio R1/R2 of 0.3 or more and less than 1.0, where R1 is the surface roughness of the band-shaped portion end portion and R2 is the surface roughness of the center portion, facilitating easier polishing and reducing chipping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If ceramic ball material is machined using surface plate to achieve mirror finish, then surface quality is improved, but processing time is prolonged due to restrained machining to avoid chipping
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a band-shaped portion with different surface roughness characteristics than the spherical portion. The band-shaped portion has controlled surface roughness (Ra of 0.01 μm or more and less than 0.1 μm) that differs from the spherical portion, allowing different machining strategies for different regions. This enables the spherical portion to be machined more aggressively without chipping while the band-shaped portion maintains adequate surface quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-forming the band-shaped portion during the sintering process itself, rather than adding it through subsequent machining. This preliminary formation of the band-shaped portion with appropriate surface roughness before final machining allows the spherical portion to be processed more efficiently without the risk of corner chipping.
2Reliability
If restrained machining is performed to prevent chipping of band-shaped portion corners, then reliability is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The band-shaped portion is given specific surface roughness characteristics (Ra of 0.01 μm or more and less than 0.1 μm) that differ from the spherical portion. This local quality difference allows the corners of the band-shaped portion to be more resistant to chipping during machining, enabling faster processing without compromising reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the surface roughness parameter of the band-shaped portion to a specific range (Ra: 0.01-0.1 μm) that optimizes both chipping resistance and machining efficiency. This parameter change allows the material to withstand more aggressive machining while maintaining reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The described ceramic ball material significantly shortens processing times while effectively suppressing chipping during machining, enhancing the efficiency and durability of the ceramic ball manufacturing process.
Implementation Method 1
a surface roughness ratio R1/R2 of 0.3 or more and less than 1.0, where R1 is the surface roughness of the band-shaped portion end portion and R2 is the surface roughness of the center portion
Data Source
AI summary
A ceramic ball material according to an embodiment includes a spherical portion; and a band-shaped portion formed over a circumference of a surface of the spherical portion. The ceramic ball material has a ratio R1/R2 of 0.3 or more and less than 1.0, where R1 denotes a surface roughness of an end portion of the band-shaped portion; and R2 denotes a surface roughness of a center portion of the band-shaped portion.