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Grinding and Other Abrasive Processes

Students: Daniel I. Sifre Feliciano, Darline Ferrer Cabán, Verónica Franco
Professor: Jayanta K. Banerjee
March 26, 2024

Abstract removal as the workpiece is fed relative

to the wheel. Notwithstanding their
Most wear studies classify similarities, significant disparities exist
abrasion into two main processes: micro- between grinding and milling: the
cutting, resulting in material removal abrasive grains are smaller and more
(grinding), and micro-ploughing, abundant compared to milling cutter
causing plastic deformation and reduced teeth, grinding operates at significantly
material removal (abrasive wear). higher speeds, the abrasive grits possess
Understanding the fluid transitions a random orientation with a notably high
around abrasive particles under negative rake angle, and crucially, the
controlled conditions enables better grinding wheel is inherently self-
process control. This study aims to sharpening, with abrasive particles either
comprehend the local phenomena of fracturing to expose fresh edges or being
plastic deformation and failure induced pulled out to reveal new grains as the
by abrasion. Experimental investigations wheel wears.
involve scratching a soft flat surface
(AISI4140 steel) using a turning tool Grinding
mounted on a disc's periphery. By
adjusting angular and feed speeds, Is a material removal process
successive scratches allow the accomplished by abrasive particles that
examination of phenomena from a single are contained in a bonded grinding wheel
pass of the cutting tool. Measurements of rotating at very high surface speeds. The
scratch topography and forces reveal the grinding wheel is usually disk shaped
impact of depth of cut and cutting speed and is precisely balanced for high
on these parameters and specific energy rotational speeds. A grinding wheel
consumption. consists of abrasive particles and
bonding material. The bonding material
Key words: Abrasive material, grinding, holds the particles in place and
grains. establishes the shape and structure of the
wheel. These two ingredients and the
Introduction way they are fabricated determine the
five basic parameters of a grinding
Grinding, a vital material wheel:
removal technique, involves abrasive
particles housed within a precisely 1) Abrasive material:
balanced, disk-shaped grinding wheel,
rotating at exceptionally high speeds. Abrasive materials are essential
This process, akin to milling, entails for grinding and vary according to
cutting on either the periphery or face of the material being ground. Their
the wheel, resembling peripheral and properties include high hardness,
face milling respectively, with peripheral wear resistance, toughness, and
grinding being the more prevalent friability. The latter refers to the
approach. The rotating grinding wheel, ability to fracture to expose a new
comprising numerous cutting teeth sharp edge. The main commercial
(abrasive particles), facilitates material abrasive materials are aluminum
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oxide, silicon carbide, cubic boron The bonding material holds the
nitride, and diamond, each with abrasive grains and establish- es the
different hardness levels, as shown in shape and structural integrity of the
the following table: grinding wheel. Desirable properties of
the bond material include strength,
toughness, hardness, and temperature
resistance. The bonding material in a
grinding wheel needs to withstand
centrifugal forces and high temperatures,
resist fracturing under shock loading,
and securely hold abrasive grains for
cutting while allowing worn grains to
dislodge for new ones to be exposed.
Common bonding materials are:
Vitrified bond, silicate bond, Rubber
bond, Resinoid bond, Shellac bond,
Table #1: Abrasives of greatest importance in
Metallic bond.
grinding
4) Wheel Grade:
2) Grain size:
The wheel grade indicates the
The abrasive grain size is crucial grinding wheel's bond strength in
for surface finish and material retaining the abrasive grains during
removal rate. Smaller sizes offer cutting. This largely depends on the
better finishes, while larger ones amount of bonding material present in
allow for greater material removal. the wheel structure, expressed as Pb in
Selection depends on these goals and the equation used in Figure #1. Grade is
the work material's hardness. It's measured on a scale ranging from soft to
measured using a screen mesh hard. "Soft" wheels easily lose grains,
procedure, where smaller sizes have whereas "hard" wheels retain their
higher numbers. Grain sizes range abrasive grains. Soft wheels are
from 8 (very coarse) to 250 (very generally used for applications requiring
fine), with even finer sizes used for low material removal rates and for
honing and superfinishing. As shown grinding hard work materials. Hard
in the following table: [2] wheels are typically used to achieve high
material removal rates and for grinding
relatively soft work materials.

5) Wheel Structure:

In the following image is a typical

structure of a grinding wheel; Wheel
structure refers to the relative spacing of
the abrasive grains in the wheel. In
Table #2: Grain size range between 8 and 2500 addition to the abrasive grains and bond
material, grinding wheels contain air
gaps or pores, as illustrated in Figure #1.
[1] The volumetric proportions of grains,
3) Bonding Materials: bond material, and pores can be
expressed as:
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𝑷𝒈 + 𝑷𝒃 + 𝑷𝒑 = 𝟏. 𝟎

Where:

𝑃$
= Propor. abrasive grains (total wheel Vol. )

P% = Proportion of bond material

Table #3: Conventional grinding wheels as
P& = Proportion of pores (air gaps) defined by ANSI

Figure #1: Typical Structure of a grinding

wheel Table #4: Diamond and cubic boron nitride
grinding wheels as defined by ANSI
The specification of the grinding
wheel can be succinctly designated in a
standard marking system defined by the
American National Standards Institute
(ANSI). This marking system utilizes
numbers and letters to specify the
abrasive type, grit size, grade, structure,
and bond material. Table #3 presents an
abbreviated version of the ANSI
standard, indicating how the numbers
and letters are interpreted. For example, Figure #2: Grinding Wheel Shape
A-46-H-6-V The standard also provides
Analysis of Grinding Process
for additional identifications that might
be used by grinding wheel
manufacturers. The ANSI standard for
diamond and cubic boron nitride
grinding wheels is slightly different from
that of conventional wheels. The
marking system for diamond and cubic
boron nitride is represented in Table #4.

Figure #3: Grinding operation [3]

Equations: [3]
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Peripherical speed: à 𝑣 = 𝜋𝐷𝑁 1. Cutting - grit projects far

enough into surface to form a
Indeed: Depth of cut, d chip - material is removed
2. Plowing - grit projects into
Crossfeed: w à 𝑀𝑅𝑅 = 𝑣' 𝑤𝑑 work, but not far enough to cut -
instead, surface is deformed and
Surface finish: à 𝑙( = √𝐷𝑑 energy is consumed, but no
material is removed
'! 3. Rubbing - grit contacts surface
Grain aspect ratio: à 𝑟$ = ) but only rubbing friction occurs,
thus consuming energy, but no
Number of chips per time: à 𝑛( = material is removed
𝑣𝑤𝐶 , C = grits per area

," -# /.1 2 /.41

Force: à 𝐹(* = 𝐾+ N -.
O N3 O

5$ 6
Specific Energy: à U = 6% 72

Where:

U - is greater than machining Figure #5: Three types of Grinding

- The size effect Conclusion

- Part of grits is engaged in
cutting This study explores the
- Extremely negative rake angles understanding of the local phenomena of
- Cutting, plowing, and rubbing plastic deformation and failure induced
by abrasive processes, aiming to enhance
Temperature work surface: à process control. Through experimental
investigations involving scratching a
, : /.1 soft, flat surface using a tool mounted on
T8 = 𝐾4 d/.91 N 6" &O D/.41 a disc’s periphery, the effects of depth of
%
cut and cutting speed on scratch
6' topography, forces, and specific energy
Grinding ratio: à GR = 6( consumption are examined. From our
perspective, these findings not only
contribute to a better understanding of
abrasive wear processes, but also hold
the potential to significantly enhance
process control in related industrial
applications. Ultimately, this research
opens new avenues for the design of
more efficient and durable machining
Figure #4: Grinding ratio, wheel speed tools and strategies, benefiting both the
scientific community and the industry at
Three types of Grain Action: large. This approach not only sheds light
on fundamental material science
principles, but also underscores the
importance of the collaboration between
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what's academic and what is found in the

industry in driving innovation and
advancing technological capabilities.

References

[1] Groover M. (1995) Fundamentals of

Modern Manufacturing: Material,
processes, and Systems. (ed.) (5), New
York.

[2] Sansmaching. (2021). “How to

select the right grinding wheel –
SANS”. Recovered from
https://www.sansmachining.com
/how-to-select-the-right-
grinding-wheel/.

[3] Grinding and other abrasive

processes. (n.d.). Recovered from:
https://www.egr.msu.edu/~pkwon/me47
7/grinding