Recent advances and future perspectives in grinding wheel structures

Abstract

The random nature of the abrasive geometries and their distribution in a grinding wheel results in high specific grinding energy and temperature rise, large grinding forces and large deflection in the grinding system. It can also cause the abrasives to fall off the grinding wheel prematurely, leading to an inefficient use of the abrasives. Moreover, grinding wheel wear and loading problems become more severe when grinding hard and/or 'sticky' materials, which requires more frequent wheel truing and dressing, and thus reduces grinding efficiency. To overcome the problems encountered in grinding, it is necessary to design a new grinding wheel that is structured in predefined abrasive geometries with preferred spatial positioning and orientation. The new grinding wheel should be dressing-free due to its self-sharpening capability. The specific grinding energy in using the new wheel should be comparable to that of machining with predefined tools. This paper discusses the current state-of-the-art and future challenges in the grinding wheel structures, as well as the recent advances and future perspectives in grinding wheels through analysing and comparing grinding against machining processes with predefined tools.