Experimental study of wheel wear in electrolytic in-process dressing and grinding

Profile accuracy of components ground with ultra-precision machine tools is primarily dependent on wheel wear. Quantitative analysis of wheel wear is therefore an important aspect for precision grinding with electrolytic in-process dressing (ELID). In this paper, wheel wear is measured from ELID grinding experiments with different dressing and machining parameters. The grinding forces and dressing current characteristics of the experiments are also compared. Based on the results, a benchmark function is defined for wheel wear rate. A relation for identifying insufficient dressing from sufficient dressing for particular machining conditions is also identified. It is found that insufficient dressing produces pitting and/or arcing on the wheel surface, and wheel wear can be linearly correlated to ELID grinding conditions when the wheels are sufficiently dressed.