Methodology of evaluation of abrasive tool wear with the use of laser scanning microscopy

Grinding is one of the basic precise material removal methods. Abrasive and shape wear, as well as smearing of the tools' active surface handicap the processing results. The loss of cutting capacity in abrasive tools or alteration of their shape influences the surface quality and precision of the workpiece dimensions and its shape. Evaluation of the abrasive tool surface is the basic criterion of forecasting the tools' durability and the process results. The applied method of laser scanning made determination of the surface coordinates and subsequently of its geometric features with micrometric accuracy possible. Using the information on the abrasive tool surface geometric structure, a methodology of evaluation of the level of changes in geometric features of the tool during the grinding process was developed. Criteria for evaluation of the level of abrasive grains attritious wear, the degree of smearing of the abrasive tool surface and evaluation of the cutting capability of the abrasive tools were determined. The developed method allowed for evaluation of the level of abrasive tools' wear, and subsequently formed foundations for assessment of the influence of the grinding parameters on the durability of abrasive tools, evaluation of the influence of the parameters of the process of shaping the abrasive tools' active surfaces on their geometric characteristics and evaluation of the level of correlation between the monitored process parameters and the degree of the abrasive tools' wear.