ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE DIAMOND GRINDING OF HIGH SPEED STEEL

A combination of two machining processes (i.e., a hybrid process) has a potential to improve process performance. This paper reports on experimental investigation of the electrical discharge diamond grinding process that combines mechanical grinding with electrical discharge machining. In this process, the workpiece is simultaneously subjected to heating, by electrical sparks bridging the gap between the metallic wheel bonding material and the work, and abrasion by diamond grains. The effect of current, voltage, pulse-on-time and duty factor on the grinding forces and the material removal rate while machining high speed steel workpiece, are investigated. The spark discharges facilitate grinding by thermally softening the work material in the grinding zone, and consequently decreasing the nromal force. It is observed that the material removal rate increases with an increase in current and pulse on-time, while it decreases with an increase in voltage and duty factor. These independent parameters are also found to significantly influence the grinding forces.