TIAN Hui¹ ，ZHAO Jun^1，2，WANG Dinghe² ，LU Tianlin² ，WANG Dong¹ ，LAN Mingming¹ ，LI Jie³

Abstract

Objective Form grinding is a core technology for the high-efficiency and high-precision manufacturing of complex profile parts. Cubic boron nitride (CBN) abrasives are ideal materials for manufacturing form grinding wheels due to their excellent hardness, thermal stability, and wear resistance. The grinding performance of CBN form grinding wheels is jointly determined by the intrinsic properties of the CBN abrasives and the electrodeposition bonding process. However, domestically produced CBN form grinding wheels show unstable performance and short service life due to mismatches between abrasive selection and the electrodeposition process. This study aims to systematically investigate the influence of CBN abrasive characteristics and electrodeposition process parameters on the grinding performance of form grinding wheels, to clarify the optimal selection criteria for CBN abrasives and the influence mechanisms of electrodeposition process parameters, and to provide theoretical support and data basis for process optimization of high-performance CBN form grinding wheels.

Methods Six grades of commercially available CBN abrasives， prepared by a high-temperature and high-pressure (HPHT) method, were selected. Their core physical and chemical properties, including impact toughness (F_TI value), thermal shock toughness (F_TTI value), single-particle compressive strength, crystal integrity, bulk density, magnetic substance content, and purity, were comprehensively tested and characterized to identify the abrasive with the best overall performance. M238 die steel was selected as the wheel matrix, and HK30 powder metallurgy material was used as the grinding workpiece. A nickel-based electroplating solution was prepared, and the matrix surface was pretreated through oil removal, pickling, and activation. The buried sand method was adopted to achieve uniform adhesion of the CBN abrasives to matrix surface. With electrodeposition mode, pulse frequency, duty cycle, current density, deposition temperature, and deposition time as key variables, orthogonal experiments with 9 groups was designed, and 3 parallel samples were prepared for each group. CBN form grinding wheels were prepared under different process parameters, and grinding tests were carried out on a computer numerical control (CNC) form grinding machine. Range analysis was used to analyze the experimental data, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was adopted to observe the micromorphologies of CBN abrasives, electrodeposition coatings, workpiece surfaces after grinding, and abrasive shedding from the grinding wheels. In addition, the grinding performance of the optimized wheel was compared with that of a commercially available direct current (DC) electrodeposited CBN grinding wheel.

Results and Discussion Significant differences were observed in the physical and chemical properties of the six grades of CBN abrasives. The 6# CBN abrasive exhibited the best comprehensive performance, with an F_TI value of 47 N, an average single-particle compressive strength of 24 N, a bulk density of 1.79 g·cm^-3, a purity of 99.85%, and a magnetic substance content of 0.000 2%. Its crystal structure was complete, with sharp and clear edges and no obvious surface defects, indicating that it was the optimal raw material for preparing high-performance CBN form grinding wheels. Electrodeposition mode was identified as the most critical factor affecting the bonding strength of the grinding wheels, followed by pulse frequency and duty cycle. The bonding strength of DC electrodeposited grinding wheels was consistently lower than 250 N, while pulse electrodeposition refined the grains, reduced internal stress, and improved coating compactness, thus significantly enhancing the bonding strength of the plating layer. The optimal electrodeposition process parameters were determined as follows: pulse mode with a frequency of 500 Hz and a duty cycle of 60%, a current density of 0.7 A/dm², a deposition temperature of 40 ℃, and a deposition time of 100 min. Under these conditions, the bonding strength reached 310 N, and the abrasive shedding rate was only 2.3%. Grinding performance verification tests showed that the optimized CBN form grinding wheel had a dimensional accuracy of ±0.003 mm, a workpiece surface roughness (Ra) of 0.34 μm, and a grinding life of 337 000 workpieces, which were 9.1%, 10.53%, and 10.85%, respectively, higher compared with the commercially available grinding wheel. Additionally, the abrasive shedding rate was reduced by 25.8%. The synergistic effect of the high-toughness 6# CBN abrasive and the high-holding-force pulse-electrodeposited coating enabled the grinding wheel to resist the initial grinding impact loads, reduce early-stage abrasive shedding and fragmentation, maintain a stable grinding morphology throughout its service life, and inhibit grinding chatter and abnormal abrasive shedding, thus achieving excellent surface quality and dimensional accuracy.

Conclusion The F_TI value, crystal integrity, and average compressive strength are key indices affecting the grinding performance of CBN form grinding wheels, and the 6# CBN abrasive is the preferred raw material for manufacturing high-performance CBN form grinding wheels. The optimized pulse electrodeposition process significantly improves bonding strength and abrasive retention stability. The prepared grinding wheels exhibit significant advantages in dimensional accuracy, surface roughness, abrasive shedding rate, and grinding life compared with commercially available DC electrodeposited CBN grinding wheels. This research establishes a quantitative correlation model of CBN abrasive characteristics, electrodeposition process, and grinding performance, which provides an important experimental basis and technical support for the independent manufacturing and engineering application of high-performance CBN form grinding wheels.

Keywords：boron nitride; form grinding wheel; electrodeposition; grinding performance

Get Citation: TIAN Hui， ZHAO Jun， WANG Dinghe， et al. Regulation mechanisms of CBN abrasive properties and electrodeposition process on performance of form grinding wheels［J］. China Powder Science and Technology， 2026， 32（4）： 1-12.

Received: 2026-01-26, Revised: 2026-03-19, Online: 2026-04-17.

DOI：10.13732/j.issn.1008-5548.2026.04.016

CLC No:TG74；TQ163；TB44                          Type Code: A

Serial No:1008-5548（2026）04-0001-12