Coated Abrasive Structure for Controlled Particle Tilt Orientation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing abrasive articles face challenges in achieving optimal particle orientation and distribution, which affects their performance and manufacturing efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The development of coated abrasive articles with a backing layer, make coat, and abrasive particles, where at least 65% of the abrasive particles have a well-oriented tilt orientation, and the use of specific materials and viscosities for the front fill and make coat to enhance manufacturing and performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional abrasive articles are manufactured with random particle distribution, then manufacturing process is simple, but material removal performance is suboptimal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-orienting abrasive particles at specific angles (30-60 degrees from perpendicular) to the backing layer surface before final coating application. This pre-orientation ensures optimal cutting edges are presented to the workpiece during abrasion, improving material removal performance while maintaining a relatively simple manufacturing process using conventional coating equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the orientation parameter of abrasive particles from random distribution to controlled angular distribution (30-60 degrees from perpendicular). This parameter change optimizes the exposure of cutting edges and improves overall abrasive performance without requiring fundamentally new manufacturing equipment, thus resolving the contradiction between precision and complexity.
2Productivity
If abrasive particles are densely packed on backing layer, then material removal rate increases, but particle orientation control becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by ensuring that each abrasive particle maintains its specific orientation angle (30-60 degrees from perpendicular) independent of neighboring particles. This local orientation control allows dense packing while preserving the cutting effectiveness of individual particles, thereby achieving high material removal rates without sacrificing orientation precision.
Solution Approach 2:
By pre-orienting particles before dense packing and coating application, the manufacturing process ensures that even at high particle densities, each particle maintains its optimal orientation. This preliminary orientation step decouples the relationship between particle density and orientation control, allowing both high productivity and precision to coexist.
3Ease of manufacture
If make coat viscosity is reduced for easier application, then coating process becomes simpler, but abrasive particle adhesion and orientation stability decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the viscosity parameter of the make coat to a specific range that balances ease of application with particle adhesion and orientation stability. This controlled viscosity change allows for simple coating processes while ensuring that abrasive particles maintain their oriented positions and remain firmly adhered to the backing layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The make coat functions as a composite material system that binds abrasive particles to the backing layer while maintaining their oriented positions. By carefully formulating this composite coating material with appropriate viscosity and adhesive properties, the patent achieves both easy application and reliable particle adhesion, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing ease and product reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
An abrasive article including: a backing layer including a front fill overlying a backing, wherein the backing layer including the front fill comprises (1) a surface roughness of not greater than 100 microns or (2) an average thickness/roughness ratio of greater than 0.80; a make coat overlying the backing layer; and a plurality of abrasive particles overlying the backing layer, wherein at least 65% of the abrasive particles have a well-oriented tilt orientation.