On texturing cBN grinding wheels and its effect on reduction of ploughing share and increased productivity

Grinding, although essential in many manufacturing processes, has consistently been constrained by excessive heat generation and elevated contact zone temperatures. Due to large contact length, utilization of high speed or high ploughing forces, the temperature is usually at the verge of exceeding the part material's allowance limits, or at levels to cause surface integrity problems such as high residual stresses, micro crack initiation, surface burn, etc. To avoid this, the most used approach is to limit productivity, either by reducing the feed rate or depth of cut. Previous researches have shed light on how different mechanisms create force during grinding and even identified the main source of heat generation in grinding processes as the ploughing force which directly induces heat to the surface. The current study suggests and evaluates the geometrical properties of the textures in reducing the ploughing share of grinding forces. This study demonstrates that increasing the groove width on cBN grinding tools leads to a reduction in the proportion of ploughing forces within the total forces. The groove angle also has an influence, yet less significant, on this proportion. This behavior arises from fewer grits engaging below the critical chip thickness, thereby minimizing ploughing and promoting chip formation by a larger number of grits through grinding. Both effects of texture work in favor of material removal rate (MRR) and prove that a textured grinding wheel has a superior performance even from productivity point of view.