Internal pressure test for characterizing fast-fracture reliability of grinding wheels

Abstract

A constant danger associated with the use of most grinding wheels (vitrified-bond alumina and silicon carbide wheels) is the possibility of fracture during operation. A standard practice is to subject newly manufactured wheels to a spin test and accept wheels that survive. We propose an internal pressure test which offers a simpler, more economical alternative to the spin test for testing grinding wheels. Probabilities of failure in the internal pressure test are correlated with failure probabilities in the spin test using probabilistic fracture mechanics. Results indicate a reasonably good correlation between the two tests, thus demonstrating their equivalence. A scheme for the easy implementation of the internal pressure test to detect damage in grinding wheels is outlined.