An improved fluid convection solution in conventional grinding

Abstract

It is important in grinding for the fluid to remove heat from the grinding contact zone to avoid thermal damage to the workpiece surface and/or subsurface layers. The cooling effect of grinding fluid can be quantified by a convection heat convective heat transfer coefficient acting in the grinding zone. This article presents values of the convection heat transfer coefficient based on published experimental results for measured grinding temperatures. This article also presents a new convective heat transfer model based on principles of applied fluid dynamics and heat transfer. Predicted values for the convection heat transfer coefficient calculated from the model are compared with results from experiments obtained under a range of grinding conditions and with experimental data obtained from published literature. The results demonstrate that the new convection heat transfer coefficient model improves the accuracy of prediction and helps explain the variation in the value of convection heat transfer coefficient under varying process conditions. The results also show that convection efficiency strongly depends on the grinding wheel speed, grinding arc length and fluid properties. This new model can be readily introduced into current thermal models of the process used to predict and control grinding temperatures.