According to anisotropic and inhomogeneous structure of fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composites (FRCMC), it is difficult to control the surface quality with the traditional method used in metal material. The present paper studies the influence of diamond wheel grinding process on surface micro-topography and properties of SiO2/SiO2 composite. The research is based on some new discovery that the material enhanced fiber orientations play a key role in micro-topography of FRCMC grinding surface. Through a series of experiments, we investigate the relationship between grinding process and the quality of composites surface. We also analyze characteristics of the material surface topography height, wave distribution and surface support properties in details. This paper employs the orthogonal design to optimize grinding process parameters and also successfully models a critical condition to modify the surface characteristics. The results show that speed of grinding wheel has the greatest influence on height and surface support properties, the next is grain mesh size and depth of cut. The grain mesh size is the key factor for surface micro-topography modification. Compared to the surface with woven texture, the modified surface has better symmetrical characteristic. The research obtained will be an important technical support on improving the processing quality of FRCMC. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.