Precision grinding of binderless ultrafine tungsten carbide (WC) microstructured surfaces

The primary objective of this study was to produce binderless ultrafine tungsten carbide (WC) microstructured surfaces in the ductile grinding regime and to optimize machining parameters to generate microstructural features and sharp edges without chipping. The micro-deformation, fracture properties, and grinding mechanisms were characterized using micro/nano-indentation and single-grit grinding experiments. The effects of grinding conditions (such as grinding mode, feed rate, and spindle speed) on ground surface quality and the radius and chipping of edges were investigated using microstructural grinding experiments. It was found that in nano-indentation, the binderless WC indentation was accommodated by plastic deformation. An average critical depth of cut of 146 nm could be achieved on single-grit scratching tests using atomic force microscopic procedures. In grinding of microstructured surfaces, the surface roughness of side surfaces was always smaller than that of the bottom surface of the machined feature. The better surface quality and sharper edges were obtained by using the upcut grinding mode. Reducing the tool feed rate did necessarily help to improve the surface roughness and edges of structures. The best ground surface could be obtained at the grinding speed of 2,500 rpm. According to the grinding experimental results, an echelle grating was manufactured using the optimized parameters. The average surface roughness SRa of the bottom surface was 78 nm and that of the side surface was 60 nm. The radius of the edge was less than 1 μm, and the radius of corner was about 3 μm. No visible evidence of grinding-induced cracks and chipping on the ground surfaces was found.