Grinding process

Module 5
 Introduction
• Grinding is done for removing a very small amount of metal
from the work-piece either to bring its dimension within
very close tolerances(+/- 0.02mm) or to give fine finish (0.1
μm) on the workpiece.

• The cutting tool used is an abrasive wheel which is rotated at

a very high speed to remove excess material from
workpiece.

• An abrasive wheel is used as cutting tool, so it is also known

as abrasive machining.
Grinding process
Grinding machine
 Grinding wheel
• It is made of fine grains of abrasive particles which
projects above the periphery of the wheel and are held
together by a bonding material.

• Each individual and irregularly shaped projecting grains

acts as a cutting element or a single point cutting tool.

• The grains during the rotation of the wheel removes

very thin layer of chips.
Grinding wheels
 Mechanism of grinding
• Grinding wheel is made of fine
grains of abrasive particles
which projects above the
periphery of the wheel held
together by bonding material.

• Each individual and irregularly

shaped projecting grains acts as
a cutting element or a single
point cutting tool.

• The grains during the rotation

of the wheel removes very thin
layer of chips.
 Applications
Because the abrasives employed are very hard, abrasive
machining is used for:

• Finishing hard materials and hardened steels

• Shaping hard nonmetallic materials such as carbides,
ceramics, and glass
• Cutting-off hardened shafts, masonry, granite, and
concrete
• Removing weld beads
• Cleaning surfaces
Cutting principles and main variables of a
surface grinding process
 Cutting principle
• The sharp-edged and hard grains are held
together by bonding material.
• Projecting grains abrade layers of metal from
the work in the form of very minute chips as the
wheel rotates at high speeds of up to 60 m/s.
• Owing to the small cross-sectional area of the
chip and the high cutting speed, grinding is
characterized by high accuracy and good surface
finish.
 Grinding Machine- Types

1. Plain grinding
2. Surface grinding
3. Cylindrical Grinding Processes
4. Center-less Grinding

5. Internal Grinding Machines

Plain grinding
 Plain Grinding
• A grinding machine, is a machine tools used
for grinding, which is a type of machining
using an abrasive wheel as the cutting tool.
• Each grain of abrasive on the wheel's surface
cuts a small chip from the workpiece via shear
deformation.
 Surface grinders
• Surface grinders are used to produce flat,
angular and irregular surfaces.

• In the surface grinding process, the grinding

wheel revolves on a spindle; and the
workpiece, mounted on either a reciprocating
or a rotary table, is brought into contact with
the grinding wheel.
Surface grinders
Four types of surface grinders are commonly
used in industry:

1. horizontal spindle/reciprocating table;

2. horizontal spindle/rotary table;
3. vertical spindle/reciprocating table; and
4. vertical spindle/rotary table.
Surface
grinding
Reciprocating v/s Rotary table
 Cylindrical grinding
• Cylindrical grinding is the process of grinding the outside
surfaces of a cylinder. These surfaces may be straight,
tapered or contoured.
• Cylindrical grinding operations resemble lathe-turning
operations. They replace the lathe when the workpiece is
hardened or when extreme accuracy and superior finish are
required.
• As the workpiece revolves, the grinding wheel, rotating
much faster in the opposite direction, is brought into
contact with the part.
• The workpiece and table reciprocate while in contact with
the grinding wheel to remove material.
Cylindrical grinding
Center-less grinding
 Center-less grinding
• In centerless grinding, the workpiece is held between two
grinding wheels, rotating in the same direction at different
speeds, and a workholding platform.

• One wheel, known as the grinding wheel (stationary wheel), is

on a fixed axis and rotates. This wheel usually performs the
grinding action by having a higher linear speed than the
workpiece at the point of contact.

• The other wheel, known as the regulating wheel (moving

wheel), is movable. This wheel is positioned to apply lateral
pressure to the workpiece, and usually has either a very rough
or rubber-bonded abrasive to trap the workpiece.
Center-less grinding
 Center-less grinding
• The speed of the two wheels relative to each other provides
the grinding action and determines the rate at which
material is removed from the workpiece.

• During operation the workpiece turns with the regulating

wheel, with the same linear velocity at the point of contact
and (ideally) no slipping.

• The grinding wheel turns faster, slipping past the surface of

the workpiece at the point of contact and removing chips of
material as it passes.
 Internal grinding 
• Internal grinders are used to finish straight, tapered or
formed holes accurately. The most popular internal
grinder is similar in operation to a boring operation in a
lathe:
• The workpiece is held by a work-holding device, usually a
chuck or collet, and revolved by a motorized headstock.
• A separate motor head in the same direction as the
workpiece revolves the grinding wheel.
• It can be fed in and out of the work and also adjusted for
depth of cut.
Various grinding operations
Various grinding operations
Operations performed on horizontal-spindle
reciprocating table grinders..

(a) Transverse grinding,

(b) plunge grinding,
(c) CFG
Operations performed on vertical-spindle and
reciprocating table grinders.
Operations performed on rotary-table grinders. (a) Horizontal
spindle,
(b) vertical spindle.
 CLASSIFICATION OF
GRINDING WHEELS
Classification of wheels is based on the following characteristics:
1. GRIT
• Grit indicates, the size of abrasive grain. It is indicated by a
number. Higher the number, smaller the size of grains.

2. BOND - Bond refers to the substance of which the matrix of

the grinding wheel is made.

3. GRADE
• The degree of hardness possessed by the bond is called the
grade of the wheel and indicates the strength of the grip with
which the abrasive grains are held in the bond.
 Types of bonds in grinding wheel
The following bonds are generally employed in manufacture of
grinding wheels:

1.Vitrified bond: It is denoted by letter V and about 80% of the wheels used in
the industry are of this bond.
2.Silicate bond: It is denoted by letter S and silicate of soda (commonly known
as water glass) is the main constituent of this bond.
3.Shellac bond: It is denoted by letter E and shellac (a naturally available
material) is the main constituent of the bond.
4.Rubber bond: Here the abrasive in kneaded in rubber and the wheels are
moulded from this material. Denoted by letter R.
5.Resinoid bond: These wheels are made from bakelite and other resinous
material. It is denoted by letter B.
 WHEEL STRUCTURE
• The proportion of bond material in a wheel varies
from about 10% to 30% of its total volume.
• Structure of wheel depends upon this percentage.

• If abrasive grains are too tightly packed, the

percentage of bond material will be on the lower
side. This is called a closed structure.
• If the abrasive grains are less tightly packed in the
same volume, the wheels are said to have an open
structure.
 Manufacturing Characteristics of Grinding
Wheels

1. Abrasive Materials
2. Abrasive Grain Size
3. Wheel Grade
4. Wheel Structure
5. Wheel Bond
6. Grinding Wheel Marking
 1. Abrasive Materials
• The abrasives for grinding wheels are generally harder
than the material of a single-point tool.
• In addition to hardness, friability is an important
characteristic of abrasives.

• Friability is the ability of abrasive grains to break down

into smaller pieces; this property of abrasives enhances
the self-sharpening characteristic, which is important in
maintaining the sharpness of the GW.

• High friability indicates low fracture resistance.

 Abrasive Materials
• Aluminum oxide (Al2O3) has lower friability than
Silicon carbide (SiC); thus, it has less tendency to
fragment and self-sharpen.

• The shape and size of grain also affect its friability.

• Small grains of negative rakes are less friable than

plate-like grains.
 Four types of abrasive materials used in
manufacturing of GWs

• Conventional Abrasives
– Aluminum oxide, Al2O3 (Corundum),
– Silicon carbide, SiC (Carborundum),

• Super Abrasives:
– CBN
– Diamond
 2. Abrasive Grain Size
• The size of an abrasive grain is identified by the grit number,
which is a function of sieve size.

• The smaller the sieve size, the larger the grit number.

• The sieve sizes (mesh number) of abrasives are grouped into

four categories:
 Abrasive Grain Size
• The choice of the grain size is determined by
1. the nature of the grinding operation,
2. the material to be ground, and
3. the relative importance of the stock removed rate to the
finish required.

• Coarse and medium sizes are normally used for

roughing and semi-finishing operations.
• Fine and very fine grains are used for finishing
operations and also used for making form GWs.
 3. Wheel Grade
• The wheel grade designates the force holding the
grains.
• It is a measure of the strength of the bond.
• The wheel grade depends upon the type and
amount of the bond, the structure of the wheel,
and the amount of abrasive grains.
Grinding Wheel Hardness for Different
Materials and Operations
Effect of Machining Variables on the Wheel
Grade
 4. Wheel Structure
• The structure of a GW is a measure of its porosity.

• Porosity is essential to provide clearances for the grinding chips;

otherwise, the wheel loses its cutting ability due to loading by chips.

• Wheels of open or porous structure are used for high metal removal
rates that produce rough surfaces.

• Wheels of dense or compact structure are used for precision

grinding at low MRRs.

• Wheel structure is designated by numbers from 1 (for

extra-dense) to 15 (for extra-compact).
 5. Wheel Bond
• The wheel bond holds the grains together in the wheel with
just the right strength that permits each grain on the cutting
face to perform its work effectively.

• As the grains become dull, they may be either broken,

forming new cutting edges, or torn out, leaving the bond.

• Thus, the bond acts like a tool post that supports the abrasive
grains.

• When the amount of bond is increased, the size of the posts

connecting each grain is increased.
 Types of abrasive bonds
1. Vitrified bond (V)
2. Resinoid bond (B)
3. Silicate bond (S)
4. Rubber bond (R)
5. Shellac bond (E)
6. Oxychloride bond (O)
7. Metallic bond (M)
 6. Grinding Wheel Marking
(Specification)
• 51 (optional) A 36 L 5 V 23 (optional)
 Manufacture of grinding wheel
1. Abrasive particles are first crushed into fine powder and
passed over magnetic separators to remove iron
impurities.
2. These are then washed with water to remove foreign
elements like dust and impurities.
3. The particles are graded according to their sizes by
passing through proper sieves.
4. Abrasive particles are then mixed with proper bonding
material and bonded in proper shape and then dried.
5. After drying, it is baked(heating) and then cut to final
shape.
6. Lastly it is tested for cracks and balance.
 Wheel truing
• Wheel truing is defined as act of restoring the
cutting face of a grinding wheel by removing the
abrasive material from the cutting face and sides
of the wheel.

• It includes the altering of the cutting face shape to

produce special contours.
• It produces concentricity or parallelism of faces.
• It helps to perform a forming operation.
 Wheel dressing
• Wheel dressing refers to the act of improving
the cutting action.

• It is the sharpening operation.

• Dressing may be accomplished by using metal

crushers, abrasive sticks, single point diamond
tools, rotary or stationary diamond rolls etc.
WHEEL SHAPES
 Grinding v/s milling
• The chip formation in grinding is similar to milling.

• In spite of the small size of the layer being cut in grinding, the
chip has the same comma form similar to that obtained by
milling.

• However, in grinding, not all the grains participate equally in

the metal removal as in milling.

• In contrast to the teeth of a milling cutter, individual grains of a

GW have an irregular and non-definite geometry.
 Grinding mechanism
• Abrasive particles are randomly spaced along the
periphery of the GW.

• The radial positions of the grains (protruding) on the

wheel periphery vary, which make the grains cut layers
of material in the form of chips of different volumes.

• The grains of the GW are characterized by high negative

rake angles of −40° to −80°, consequently, the shear
angles are very small
 Grinding mechanism
• The specific cutting energy in grinding is considerably larger than
that of operations using tools of definite geometry.

• Grinding is thus not only time-consuming but also power-

consuming and is hence a costly operation.

• The GW has a self-sharpening characteristic. As the grains wear

during grinding, they either fracture or are torn off the wheel
bond, exposing new sharp grains to the work.

• The cutting speeds of GWs are very high, typically 30 m/s, which
together with the minute chip removal of the grains provide high
dimensional and form accuracy along with high surface quality.
 Advantages
Grinding possesses certain advantages over other metal cutting
methods:

• It cuts hardened steels easily.

• Very accurate dimensions and smoother surfaces can be

achieved in a very short time.

• Very little pressure is required, thus permitting very light work

to be ground that would otherwise tend to spring away from
the tool. This permits the use of magnetic chucks for holding
the work in many grinding operations.
 Advantages
1. Quality and Speed
2. Machining Hard Materials
3. More Accuracy
4. Good Surface Texture
5. Good Surface Quality
6. High Speed of Production
 Thermal effects in grinding
• During the process of grinding, a lots of heat is
generated b/w the cutting tool and w/p.

• Major portion is dissipated into the w/p and

remaining to the grinding wheel.

• Two thermal effects of grinding are:

1. Effect on grinding wheel
2. Effect on w/p
 Thermal effect on grinding wheel

• Due to generation of heat, cracks are formed

which is known as the grinding cracks.

• These cracks are perpendicular to grinding

marks.
 Thermal effect on w/p

1. Discoloration
2. Mechanical damage
3. Metallurgical damage
4. Chemical damage
 COOLANT
• In the grinding operation, lot of heat is generated. This heat must be
carried away. Hence an effective coolant is used.

• The most common coolant for grinding operation is water in which

same soda ash has been dissolved.

• There should be a copious flow of coolant at the work-wheel

interface.

• The coolant also washes away the ground chips and swarf.

• The coolant must not have lubricant in it, otherwise, it may lead to
glazing of wheels.
Thank You