Determination of Shape and Distribution of Abrasive Grains to Reduce Carbon Emissions of Honing Process

Abstract

Due to the increasing concern on environmental sustainability, many efforts have been made to improve the energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions of manufacturing processes, including abrasive machining processes. Oilstones, as the abrasive tool of honing machines, are the key parts to remove material. However, the theoretical models and methods that can be used to support the selection of oilstone parameters for reduced carbon emissions are lacking. To fill this gap, this paper proposes a method to optimize shape and distribution of abrasive grains for minimized carbon emissions while maintaining surface quality. First, the carbon emissions boundary is defined, and a carbon emissions calculation model is established from a macroperspective. As each grain contributes to the total carbon emissions, the behavior of grains during honing is then described and analyzed to obtain the carbon emissions model from a microperspective. Surface area of oilstones and the required total volume of material removal are kept constant to meet the physical size limit of oilstones and machining requirement of workpiece. Third, a shape and distribution optimization model is developed to minimize carbon emissions. A modified particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is adopted to solve this problem. Finally, the proposed method is applied to a case study to validate its effectiveness. Results show that carbon emissions can be reduced by up to 30% using the proposed model. The proposed method provides a new green manufacturing strategy for the honing process and a possibility to customize abrasive tools to meet the environmental challenges.