On the temperature field during superficial grinding: an experimental study

Abstract

Grinding is a mechanical process that involves a great amount of energy per unit volume of removed material. This energy is almost all converted into heat, causing a significant rise of the temperature, mainly on the surface of the workpiece. Therefore, locally, the surface of the workpiece will experience high increases in temperature during small periods of time, while the rest of the part remains at a low temperature. In this work we describe an experimental process to determine the temperature distribution on the workpiece, during a grinding operation. The forces acting on the workpiece and the temperature are measured simultaneously during the grinding process. Two different materials and three grinding wheels were used at three different depths of cut. It is possible to conclude that the high temperatures generated in the surface of the piece depend (among other factors) on the type of the piece material and on the physical characteristics of the used grinding wheels. Additionally, for steels, CBN wheels are the most suitable whenever high superficial temperatures must be avoided since alumina wheels produce temperatures substantially higher. This is a part of a broader work involving finite element method simulation of the grinding process.