Molecular dynamics simulation of multi-pass nano-grinding process

Grinding involves the use of a large number of micrometric abrasive grains in order to remove material from workpiece surface efficiently and finally render a high quality surface. More specifically, grinding in the nano-metric level serves for attaining nano-level surface quality by removing several layers of atoms from the workpiece surface. The abrasive grains act as individual cutting tools, performing primarily material removal but also induce alterations in the subsurface regions. In order to study the nano-grinding process, Molecular Dynamics (MD) method is particularly capable to provide comprehensive observations of the process and its outcome. In this study, MD simulations of multi-pass grinding for copper substrates, using two abrasive grains, are performed. After the simulations are carried out, results concerning grinding forces and temperatures are presented and discussed.