Foamed Bonded Abrasive Articles for High-Porosity Gear Grinding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bonded abrasive articles lack high porosity and uniform structure, which affects their performance in material removal operations such as gear grinding.
Innovation Solution
A method for forming bonded abrasive articles by creating a mixture with a foaming agent, bond precursor, gelling agent, and abrasive particles, followed by a foaming process to achieve high porosity and uniform distribution of abrasive particles within a bond matrix.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional bonding methods are used to manufacture bonded abrasive articles, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the articles lack high porosity and uniform structure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies porous materials by incorporating a foaming agent into the mixture that forms the bond matrix. This foaming agent creates bubbles during the bonding process, resulting in a porous structure within the bond matrix that enhances porosity while maintaining uniform distribution of abrasive particles throughout the article.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the chemical composition and physical state of the bonding process. Specifically, it uses a foaming agent that undergoes phase change from liquid to gas, creating pores. It also adjusts parameters such as the ratio of components, foaming agent concentration, and curing conditions to achieve both high porosity and uniform structure simultaneously.
2Productivity
If high porosity is achieved through foaming process, then material removal performance is enhanced, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by incorporating the foaming agent into the mixture before the bonding process begins. The foaming agent is pre-distributed uniformly throughout the mixture with abrasive particles and bond precursors, so that when bonding occurs, the pores form automatically during the process without requiring separate pore-creation steps, thereby simplifying the overall manufacturing process while achieving high porosity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies self-service by using the foaming agent to automatically create the porous structure during the bonding process itself. The chemical or physical reaction of the foaming agent generates gas bubbles that form pores as the bond matrix sets, eliminating the need for external pore-creation equipment or additional processing steps, thus enhancing productivity without proportionally increasing manufacturing complexity.
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 resulting abrasive articles exhibit high porosity and uniform structure, enhancing their performance in material removal operations like gear grinding.
Implementation Method 1
the mixture includes a foaming agent configured to form bubbles in the mixture
Implementation Method 2
the mixture is transformed into a gel
Data Source
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AI summary
An abrasive article including a bonded abrasive body having a bond material including an inorganic material, abrasive particles contained within the bond material of the bonded abrasive body, porosity within a range of at least 55 vol% to not greater than 90 vol% for a total volume of the bonded abrasive body, and a Solid Phase Variation of not greater than 45%.