Improving grinding performance by controlling air flow around a grinding wheel

In grinding, high specific heat is generated, and hence, appropriate control of temperature through effective flow of grinding fluid is necessary to obtain a quality ground surface. It is known that in conventional fluid delivery method, most of fluid is wasted due to presence of a stiff air layer around the grinding wheel. This air layer is generated around the wheel due to the rotation of the porous grinding wheel at a high speed. To improve grinding performance, hence, penetration into this air layer is required.In this work, a pneumatic barrier set-up has been developed for controlling the stiff air layer around the grinding wheel. The formation of stiff air layer has been studied experimentally by measuring the variation of air pressure around grinding wheel periphery at different parametric conditions of pneumatic barrier. This pneumatic barrier tends to break the stiff air layer before the fluid flow area or grinding zone. A remarkable amount of reduction in pressure of the air layer is observed at the fluid flow zone. To observe beneficial effects of suppressing the air layer, grinding experiments are performed under dry, flood cooling and flood cooling with pneumatic barrier setup. Reduction of grinding forces and surface roughness are clearly observed with the use of pneumatic barrier setup, and hence, its applicability.     

Useful coolant flowrate in grinding

A model has been developed for flowrate between a rotating grinding wheel and a workpiece. It was found that the useful flow that passes through the contact zone is a function of the spindle power for fluid acceleration, wheel speed and delivery-nozzle jet velocity. Two loss coefficients having values less than 1 are required to be calibrated for the particular grinding wheel and fluid delivery type. The model is then valid for a range of nozzle flowrates for the particular wheel and nozzle conditions. The flowrate delivered is related to unit width of the delivery nozzle assumed to be unit width of grinding contact. The model makes it possible to determine a suitable value of nozzle outlet gap to achieve a required fluid film thickness in the grinding zone. A guide is given to optimisation of the jet velocity in relation to the power required to accelerate the fluid and the particular velocity of the wheel. The model has been validated experimentally. Its simplicity and accuracy allow application to a wide range of grinding situations.     

Strategies for optimal use of fluids in grinding

The increased concern for environment and sustainability are pushing machining operations towards the reduction or even complete elimination of cutting fluids. Grinding is not excluded from this objective, but greater difficulties appear due to the nature of the material removal mechanisms. In this work, two approaches aiming at the optimization of fluid application in grinding are presented. First, the influence of nozzle design on the development of velocity and pressure fields is studied using CFD tools. A new nozzle design that optimizes the characteristics of the jet is introduced, analyzed and manufactured. Grinding experiments show that improvements in wheel life and surface finish are possible using the new nozzle. Second, the performance of a new grinding technology that combines MQL with low-temperature CO₂ is evaluated trough industrial grinding tests. Results show an increased performance in terms of friction conditions and surface finish.     

低温冷却磨削机理的研究

磨削是各种加工材料获得精确尺寸和表面完整性的主要加工方法,但在加工过程中,由于磨削区温度过高,经常导致工件表面热损伤、微裂纹和产生残余拉应力,严重影响工件表面质量和完整性的提高。本文通过采用低温CO2和液态氮为磨削冷却介质,有效地控制磨削区温度。实验结果表明,与干磨削和油冷却磨削相比,液态氮低温冷却磨削力、比磨削能、磨削区温度明显降低,工件表面质量和完整性显著提高,同时明显提高了砂轮的使用寿命和减少了冷却液对环境地污染。     

Determination and control of grinding zone temperature under cryogenic cooling

Grinding processes, though employed widely as a finishing process, have their own share of problems, like high grinding zone temperature which may lead to thermal damage to the work surface, like induction of tensile residual stresses, development of microcracks, enhanced risks of wheel loading and excessive wheel wear. Grinding fluids are applied in different forms to control such high temperature, but they are partially effective within a narrow working range; recent studies also indicate their polluting nature. cryogenic cooling, if employed properly, could control the grinding zone temperature more effectively by intensive removal of heat from the grinding zone. The present study deals with the effect of cryogenic cooling on grinding zone temperature for five commonly used steels both experimentally and computationally. Results indicate that the effectiveness of cryogenic cooling is substantial throughout the experimental domain.     

An investigation on surface grinding using graphite as lubricant

Grinding requires high specific energy and the consequent development of high temperature impairs workpiece quality by inducing tensile residual stress, burn, micro cracks etc. Control of grinding temperature is achieved by providing effective cooling and lubrication. Conventional flood cooling is often ineffective due to the relative inaccessibility of the fluid to the actual grinding zone, film boiling etc. Further these fluids are also a source of health hazards. Minimization and possibly the elimination of fluid coolants by substituting their functions by some other means is of current research interest. This paper deals with an investigation on using graphite as a lubricating medium to reduce the heat generated at the grinding zone. An experimental set-up has been developed for this and a detailed comparison has been done with dry and coolant flooded grinding in terms of forces, specific energy, temperature and surface finish. Results show that grinding force, energy and temperature are reduced and resultant surface finish depends on workpiece material.     

面向绿色制造的快速点磨削磨削液供给参数计算

高速／超高速磨削条件下,砂轮边缘的高速空气带会阻碍磨削液注入磨削区。空气带压力与砂轮速度的平方成正比。快速点磨削是一种新型高速／超高速磨削技术,接触区很小,实际磨削功率低,冷却及散热效果好。在分析了高速／超高速磨削砂轮周围旋转空气带动压力及速度分布特点的基础上,根据热力学原理及快速点磨削特点,分析并建立了磨削液的供给流量和供液速度的理论模型。在此基础上,建立了面向绿色制造的快速点磨削的磨削液喷嘴直径及供液压力的工程计算公式。     

A study of plane surface grinding under minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) conditions

Abrasive material removal processes can be very challenging due to high power requirements and resulting high temperatures. Effective lubrication and cooling is necessary to ensure temperature levels do not become excessive. Current fluid delivery systems are frequently seen to increase production cost due to fluid purchase and disposal. Moreover, waste fluids have a negative environmental impact. One of the successful fluid reduction methods employed in machining is minimum quantity lubrication (MQL), where a small amount of fluid is directed into the machining area in the form of an aerosol. This study aims to improve understanding of the effectiveness of MQL in the fine grinding plane surface grinding regime. This paper presents a comparative study of three cooling methods: conventional flood cooling, dry grinding and grinding with MQL. Common steels EN8, M2 and EN31 were ground with a general purpose alumina wheel. Results obtained demonstrate that MQL can deliver a comparable performance to flood delivery under the conditions investigated. Performance indicators included: grind power, specific forces (tangential and normal), grind temperature and workpiece surface roughness.     

Cooling action of grinding fluid in shallow grinding

A new method is proposed for measuring the heat transfer coefficient in the vicinity of the wheel-workpiece contact zone. The accuracy of measurement is estimated by using a finite element method and the factor for correcting the measured results is derived. The experiments are performed in a number of conditions where grinding fluid is supplied and the following measures are consequently recommended for increasing the cooling efficiency: (1) set the velocity of coolant to more than the critical value to penetrate the air flow layer formed around the wheel periphery; (2) use a nozzle with a thin throat, about 1 mm in height, and attach a scraper plate above the nozzle outlet; (3) choose a wheel of large grain size and dress roughly, or form shallow grooves on the wheel periphery; and (4) set a higher wheel speed.     

A study of the convection heat transfer coefficients of grinding fluids

By using hydrodynamic and thermal modelling, the variation of the convection heat transfer coefficient (CHTC) of the process fluids within the grinding zone has been investigated. Experimental measurements of CHTC for different grinding fluids have been undertaken and show that the CHTC depends on the grinding wheel speed and the fluid film thickness within the contact zone. The film thickness is determined by grinding wheel speed, porosity, grain size, fluid type, flow rate and nozzle size. The CHTC values are compared for a wide range of grinding regimes, including high efficiency deep grinding (HEDG), creep feed and finish grinding.     

Mist jet cooling of grinding processes

One of the problems in modern grinding processes is the use and disposal of coolants, which are expensive and which can lead to ecological problems. This paper describes some experiments with a novel method of cooling the grinding process which relies on nothing but air and water for its effect, thus removing ecological hazards in a most economical way. By injecting a small amount of water into air jets which strike the grinding wheel at speeds near mach 1, it is possible to maintain a sharper wheel and better cooling than with conventional coolants and delivery systems. It is relatively simple and cheap to set up the delivery system proposed, provided the correct nozzle designs are used.     

脆性材料平面磨削温度场的测量及分析

磨削温度直接影响砂轮寿命、加工成本和工件质量,一直是磨削加工领域研究加工过程及其本质的重点.获得磨削弧区温度及工件实际的温度场分布是研究磨削热机理的基础.本文采用NEC TH31-110红外热像仪,测量了平面干磨削脆性材料时的热像图,获得了工件整体温度场分布及沿层深的温度分布数据,确定了工件磨削接触区的最高温度及其准确...     

Hydraulic design of a grinding wheel with an internal cooling lubricant supply

This paper presents a grinding wheel with an internal cooling lubricant supply (GIC). The cooling lubricant is supplied through channels inside the grinding wheel instead of conventional supply using external nozzles. With the GIC, direct coolant supply into the contact zone is possible. The hydraulic design of the GIC is similar to that of a centrifugal pump impeller. The design process is supported by simulation of fluid dynamics. First tests show that the GIC is able to supply the coolant at different flow rates with cutting speeds up to 60 m/s.     

Experimental study on grinding force and grinding temperature of Aermet 100 steel in surface grinding

This paper investigates grinding force and grinding temperature of ultra-high strength steel Aermet 100 in conventional surface grinding using a single alumina wheel, a white alumina wheel and a cubic boron nitride wheel. First, mathematical models of grinding force and grinding temperature for three wheels were established. Then, the role of chip formation force and friction force in grinding force was investigated and thermal distribution in contact zone between workpiece and wheel was analyzed based on the mathematical model. The experimental result indicated that the minimum grinding force and the maximum grinding force ratio under the same grinding parameters can be achieved when using a CBN wheel and a single alumina wheel, respectively. When the phenomenon of large grinding force and high grinding temperature appeared, the workpiece material would adhere locally to the single alumina wheel. Grinding temperature was in a high state under the effect of two main aspects: poor thermal properties of grinding wheel and low coolant efficiency. The predicted value of grinding force and grinding temperature were compared with those experimentally obtained and the results show a reasonable agreement.     

An experimental investigation of the effects of workpiece and grinding parameters on minimum quantity lubrication—MQL grinding

Coolant is a term generally used to describe grinding fluids used for cooling and lubricating in grinding process. The main purposes of a grinding fluid can be categorized into lubrication, cooling, transportation of chips, cleaning of the grinding wheel and minimizing the corrosion. On the other hand, grinding fluids have negative influences on the working environment in terms of the health of the machine operator, pollution and the possibility of explosion (for oil). Furthermore, the cost of the grinding fluid, filtering and waste disposal of the metal working fluids is even higher than the tool cost and constitutes a great part of the total cost. Additionally, grinding fluids can not effectively penetrate into the contact zone, are health hazard and their consumption must be restricted. Generally, compared to other machining processes, grinding involves high specific energy. Major fraction of this energy is changed into heat, which makes harmful effect on the surface quality as well as the tool wear. Since there is no coolant lubricant to transfer the heat from the contact zone in dry grinding, surface damages are not preventable. Alternatives to current practices are getting more serious consideration in response to environmental and operational cost pressures. One attractive alternative is the minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) grinding or the near dry grinding (NDG). In near dry grinding an air–oil mixture called an aerosol is fed into the wheel-work contact zone. Compared to dry grinding, MQL grinding substantially enhances cutting performance in terms of increasing wheel life and improving the quality of the ground parts. In this research, the influences of workpiece hardness and grinding parameters including wheel speed, feed rate and depth of cut have been studied on the basis of the grinding forces and surface quality properties to develop optimum grinding performances such as cooling, lubrication, high ecological and environmental safety.     

Influence of oil mist parameters on minimum quantity lubrication – MQL grinding process

Promising alternatives to conventional dry and fluid coolant applications are minimum quantity lubricant (MQL) or near dry grinding. Despite several researches, there have been a few investigations about the influence of MQL parameters on the process results, such as oil flow rate, air pressure, MQL nozzle position and distance from the wheel–workpiece contact zone. The current study aims to show through experiment and modeling, the effects of the above parameters on grinding performance such as grinding forces and surface roughness. The results show that the setting location of the nozzle is an important factor regarding the effective application of MQL oil mist. It has been shown that optimal grinding results can be obtained when the MQL nozzle is positioned angularly toward the wheel (at approximately 10–20° to the workpiece surface). In addition, it is found that the efficient transportation of oil droplets to the contact zone requires higher mass flow rate of the oil mist towards the grains flat area and longer deposition distance of an oil droplet. Applying the new setup, considerable reduction in the grinding forces and surface roughness has been achieved.     

Effects of minimizing hydrodynamic pressure in ultra-precision mirror grinding

This paper describes an investigation about the fluid delivery method that minimizes the generation of hydrodynamic pressure and that improves grinding accuracy. Traditionally, grinding fluid is delivered for the purpose of cooling, chip flushing and lubrication. Hence, numbers of conventional investigations are focused on the delivery method to maximize fluid flux into the contact arc between grinding wheel and workpiece. It is already known that hydrodynamic pressure generates due to this fluid flux, and that it affects overall grinding resistance and machining accuracy. Especially in the ultra-precision mirror grinding process that requires extremely small amount of cut per each pass, its influence on the machining accuracy becomes more significant. Therefore, in this paper, a new delivery method of grinding fluid is proposed on the point of minimizing hydrodynamic pressure effect. Experimental data indicate that the proposed method is effective not only to minimize the hydrodynamic pressure but also to improve machining accuracy.     

The effect of cryogenic cooling on grinding forces

Grinding forces are important parameters to judge the performance of any grinding process. Cryogenic cooling in grinding is a new concept to control the high grinding zone temperature without polluting the environment. The paper presents a hypothesis on the mechanics of grinding under cryogenic cooling. Experiments have been carried out to study the effect of cryogenic cooling on grinding forces and to check the validity of the hypothesis. The results indicate substantial reduction in the grinding forces under cryogenic cooling over range of infeed and dressing procedure for different commonly used steels.     

The effects of cutting fluid application methods on the grinding process

It is well known that a boundary layer of air is entrained around a rotating grinding wheel. The effects of the boundary layer have been under some scrutiny in recent years with most research being based on trying to overcome the boundary layer. The current investigation aims to show through experiment and modelling, the effects of the boundary layer on cutting fluid application and how it can be used to aid delivery by increasing flow rate beneath the wheel. Results from three experiments with different quantities of cutting fluid passing through the grinding zone are presented.     

Application of region growing method to evaluate the surface condition of grinding wheels

Grinding is a time-varying process affected by factors such as wheel construction, dressing parameters, operating parameters, workpiece material and cooling. The influence of these factors on wheel wear can be evaluated by monitoring the wheel condition. Measurement of wear flat area provides information on the condition of the wheel, but unfortunately it can be a tedious, time consuming, and expensive process. In this paper, a new system to measure wear flat area is presented. This system is mounted on the grinding machine and automates the measurement process by using computer control to automatically position the wheel and capture digital images of the wheel between grinding cycles. Image processing software is then used to analyze the digital images and measure the wear flat area. The proposed measurement system was validated using a scanning electron microscope. Experiments were performed on a Brown & Sharpe Micromaster 824 surface grinder to examine the relationship between wear flat area, normal force and depth of cut. The results agree with the literature.