Last news about IDEKO.
The research centre is participating in the event, which is being held via digital platforms between 1 and 5 June.
The congress, organised by the University of Mondragon, brings together around one hundred researchers from 19 countries to discuss scientific progress in the field of surface integrity
The research centre IDEKO, a member of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), is taking its latest solutions in the field of non-destructive inspection applied to grinding processes to the fifth CIRP Conference on Surface Integrity, which is being held telematically from today until 5 June.
The entity that specialises in Advanced Manufacturing will present research work, led by Dr. Jose Luis Lanzagorta, which consists of the development of an experimental prototype for the in-process inspection of thermal damage that sometimes occurs on the contact surface of the workpiece due to the high temperatures reached during the process. This phenomenon is commonly known as grinding burn.
The system developed by IDEKO, which is based on eddy current technology, can be integrated into the machine and inspects the surface during the process without there being any contact between the workpiece and the sensor. The development has been validated in tests where the surface was attacked by acid etch under the angle grinding technique and the straight grinding technique. In addition, the results of the inspection were compared with different variables that allowed conclusions to be reached and relationships to be established that open up new avenues for the development of monitoring, prevention and control techniques for grinding burns, based on modelling and digital twins.
The paper, entitled "Experimental approach for a grinding burn in-process inspection system based on Eddy Current", is the result of research carried out with other IDEKO experts such as Lander Urgoiti, David Barrenetxea, Paula Ruiz Vázquez and José Alberto Sánchez from CEIT.
"Grinding is a finishing operation that is applied to a wide range of components in relevant sectors such as aerospace, shipbuilding, oil and gas generation, energy and automotive. One of the problems associated with this process is burning, which can result in softening or hardening of the surface layers of the material depending on the process parameters, significantly altering the mechanical properties of the component," says Lanzagorta.
The identification of grinding burns in steels is usually done by the acid etch inspection technique. However, this inspection requires high process times, depends heavily on the expertise of the operator providing a low POD (Probability of Defect) and is also polluting.
"Another alternative has been the implementation of equipment based on electromagnetic techniques (Eddy Current, Barkhausen Noise, etc.) for post-process inspection thanks to its high rate of effectiveness, sensitivity, resolution and automation. The disadvantage of these magnetic techniques is that the inspection is carried out too late, does not cover the entire production and numerous trial and error tests have to be carried out to optimise the process. For these reasons, it is important to investigate new solutions that can be carried out during the process, and not afterwards, as the technique we have developed", adds the expert.
The CIRP Conference on Surface Integrity, organised by the University of Mondragon, brings together around one hundred researchers from 19 countries, with the aim of creating an international forum for exchanging knowledge on surface integrity.
The congress, which was initially planned as a face-to-face event, has been transformed into a virtual conference (E-Conference), as a result of the health alarm generated by the COVID-19. The meeting will allow for case studies to be examined and functional performance to be evaluated from an industrial point of view.
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