Reverse Rotation Grinding for Honeycomb End Faces

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing end face grinding methods for honeycomb structures face challenges such as chipping and inefficiency due to high grinding forces, excessive grinding wheel feeding speed, and the accumulation of ground powder, particularly when dealing with structures having small cell partition wall thicknesses.

Innovation Solution

An end face grinding method and device that rotate the grinding wheel in a reverse direction to the honeycomb structure, with controlled grinding wheel feeding speed and a dust collecting mechanism to prevent powder accumulation, ensuring efficient grinding without chipping and maintaining quality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If conventional grinding methods with high grinding forces are used, then grinding efficiency is improved, but chipping occurs in end faces particularly when partition wall thickness is small

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegrinding efficiencyVSAvoidend face quality
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies reverse rotation of the grinding wheel relative to the honeycomb structure rotation, creating opposite rotational directions that reduce relative speed and grinding forces. This inversion of the conventional grinding approach allows efficient material removal while preventing chipping of thin partition walls by reducing impact forces during the grinding process

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Productivity

If grinding wheel feeding speed is increased to improve efficiency, then productivity is improved, but shock and chipping occur in cell partition walls

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegrinding speedVSAvoidpartition wall integrity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

By rotating the grinding wheel in the opposite direction to the honeycomb structure, the patent reduces the relative feeding speed and impact shock during grinding. This reverse rotation mechanism enables faster effective material removal while maintaining partition wall integrity by reducing the shock forces that would otherwise cause chipping

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Ease of manufacture

If dry type grinding is used to simplify the process, then ease of manufacture is improved, but ground powder accumulates and interferes with grinding

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegrinding process simplicityVSAvoidground powder accumulation
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes ground powder from the grinding zone using a dust collecting mechanism during dry type grinding. This extraction of harmful particles maintains the simplicity of dry grinding while preventing powder accumulation that would otherwise interfere with the grinding process and degrade end face quality

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

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 method effectively grinds honeycomb end faces without chipping, even with small partition wall thicknesses, and efficiently processes the end faces by optimizing grinding conditions, while the dust collecting mechanism ensures stable dry-type grinding without powder interference.

Implementation Method 1

a grinding wheel (110) is rotated in a reverse direction (R2) to a rotating direction (R1) of the honeycomb structure (100)... to grind the end face (101)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAbrasion: Abrasion

Implementation Method 2

a dust collecting mechanism section (40) to suck ground powder (102) which is generated during the dry type grinding, from a grinding surface (111) side of the grinding wheel (110)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSuction: Suction

Data Source

PatentEP3045267B1End face grinding method and end face grinding device
Publication Date: 2021.05.19 NGK INSULATORS LTD
  • EP3045267B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3045267B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3045267B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

There is disclosed an end face grinding method in which grinding conditions such as a grinding wheel feeding speed and the like are optimized and grinding process of an end face of a suitable quality without any chippings of cell partition walls or the like is efficiently performed. The end face grinding method includes a structure rotating step of rotating a honeycomb structure 100 based on a rotation axis A1 in a direction orthogonal to the end face of the honeycomb structure 100, a grinding wheel reverse rotating step of using a grinding wheel 110 disposed so that a grinding surface 111 faces the end face and rotating the grinding wheel 110 in a reverse rotating direction R2 to a rotating direction R1 of the honeycomb structure 100 based on a rotation axis A2 in the direction orthogonal to the end face; and a dry type grinding step of bringing the grinding wheel 110 rotating in the reverse direction close to the rotating honeycomb structure 100 to perform the dry type grinding of the end face.