Application of axiomatic design principles to identify more sustainable strategies for grinding

It has become increasingly important for manufacturers to implement sustainability into tool and process design. Existing models that evaluate the sustainability of abrasive processes focus mostly on case studies of selected energy and resource streams and rarely contain holistic process models. This study uses basic principles of axiomatic design to fundamentally describe grinding technology in a way that can be used for life cycle assessment. The functional requirements of the machining process are linked to process, tool, and coolant design parameters based upon common process understanding. However, these connections leave space for future quantitative and qualitative formulae. Sustainability metrics are then connected to the axiomatic process model. This work represents a first effort in developing this type of model. Finally, the model is used to qualitatively evaluate the impact of grit size on process sustainability showing that the method is feasible to identify strategies to increase sustainability in grinding.