Explanatory model for knowledge-based process design in unguided vibratory finishing of WC-Co cemented carbide

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Thomas Bergs
• Subject Area: Metal-Cutting and Abrasive Manufacturing Engineering
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 540735969

Cemented carbides are mainly used for precision tools, i.e. for cutting and forming tools. Due to the disruption of automotive manufacturing by new mobility concepts and alternative technologies, manufacturers of precision tools are faced with the challenge of making their production resilient in order to be able to react flexibly to changing market conditions in the future. One way to improve the resilience of production is the knowledge-based design of the manufacturing processes of producing companies. For the reworking of small components and large numbers of components, unguided vibratory finishing is industrially established. Typical components made of cemented carbide that are reworked using unguided vibratory finishing are hammer and percussion drill plates, drill bit plates, and saw teeth. For larger components made of cemented carbide with high demands on surface quality and microgeometry, such as fineblanking This results from the lack of knowledge about the cause-effect relationships between the process input variables and the process output variables. Knowledge-based process design offers the potential to design manufacturing processes time-efficiently and according to requirements without preliminary tests. Based on the gained knowledge, new application areas for unguided vibratory finishing of cemented carbide can be developed. This enables the substitution of uneconomical technologies in the finishing and post-processing of cemented carbide by unguided vibratory finishing. The work program is divided into four work packages (WP). First, in WP 1, measuring systems for recording the contact force and workpiece acceleration will be developed and constructed. Then, in WP 2, different abrasive medias are compared with respect to metal removal rate and achievable process results based on experimental investigations. The investigations are carried out with abrasive medias whose geometries are varied in three stages, each with a ceramic and plastic bond. In WP 3, the measurement systems from WP 1 and the best-suited abrasive media from WP 2 are used to machine four different cemented carbide specifications with varying process input variables and to collect process data. The experimental design is carried out in a partial factorial manner. The machine-side process input variables include the speed of the balancing motor, and the upper and lower imbalance masses, each with three factor levels. In addition, the machining time is varied. Finally, the cemented carbide workpieces will be metrologically analyzed. The data obtained in WP 3 will be systematically examined in WP 4 for cause-effect relationships so that the process result variables can be explained.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants