in Modern Grinding Technology
Modern grinding processes can be described in terms of the standard laws of physics.
In most cases cup wheels and segmented wheels are used for through-feed grinding, and Linear Abrasive has based its concepts and engineering on that principle. This permits extremely high stock removal rates to be achieved compared with other grinding techniques, and this in turn means considerably improved performance and efficiency. In mathematical terms the results can be explained as follows:
(volume of stock removed in (mm)3 per 1mm wheel contact width for 1 second), which is now the standard parameter for comparing the performance of different grinding techniques, is calculated with the help of the following equation:
In the case of cup or segmented wheel face grinding, infeed is not radial but axial so that stock removal depth or infeed depth ae corresponds to contact width bk between the grinding wheel and the workpiece. Actual workpiece width bw is now identical with infeed ae, so the equation for the stock removal rate in the case of through-feed surface grinding in the face-grinding mode is as follows:
The result is levels of performance that are at best to be encountered with high-performance grinding under fully optimized conditions. And comparisons with high-speed milling would not be unrealistic, either.
The performance potential of through-feed grinding tends to be underestimated. Within our philosophy, through-feed grinding is not restricted to machining surfaces; it is also suitable for both peripheral grinding and profile grinding. For that reason a thorough understanding of the various factors involved in wheel dressing and profiling is essential. And this is a field in which LINEAR ABRASIVE has built up a reputation for competence, including a patent for a roll dressing process specially developed for cup and segmented wheels.