A comparative study of conventional and high speed grinding characteristics of a thin film multilayer structure

High speed and conventional speed grinding characteristics of a thin film multilayer solar panel were investigated. The grinding force and surface roughness were measured and the interface integrity of the ground workpieces was examined. The results indicated that when applying a high wheel speed of up to 120 m/s, the ground surfaces predominantly exhibited ductile flow and the interface integrity was significantly improved. The maximum undeformed chip thickness was found to be an important parameter to measure grinding performance and interfacial failure. Delamination was observed at interfaces when the maximum undeformed chip thickness exceeded a threshold value and the finite element method (FEM) analysis revealed that the interfacial failure was mainly induced by shear stress.