Elucidating Grinding Mechanism by Theoretical and Experimental Investigations

Area of Science:

• Manufacturing Engineering
• Materials Science
• Surface Metrology

Background:

• Grinding is crucial for manufacturing precision parts from hard and brittle materials, such as optical lenses.
• Understanding workpiece surface evolution during multi-pass grinding is vital but not extensively studied.
• The stochastic nature of material removal in grinding complicates surface topography prediction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the evolution of workpiece surface topography during multi-pass surface grinding.
• To analyze the effects of multiple grinding passes on glass surfaces using cBN abrasive grains.
• To provide both theoretical and experimental insights into the grinding mechanism.

Main Methods:

• Conducted experimental multi-pass surface grinding of glass workpieces.
• Utilized grinding wheels with cubic boron nitride (cBN) abrasive grains.
• Developed theoretical models to complement experimental findings on surface evolution.

Main Results:

• Both experimental and theoretical investigations confirmed significant stochasticity in the grinding mechanism.
• The complexity of the glass workpiece surface was observed to increase progressively with each grinding pass.
• The study quantifies the impact of multi-pass grinding on surface topography development.

Conclusions:

• The grinding process for glass exhibits inherent randomness, influencing surface finish.
• Repeated grinding passes lead to a gradual increase in surface complexity.
• This research provides a foundational understanding of multi-pass grinding effects on brittle materials.