Analysis of Grindability and Surface Integrity in Creep-Feed Grinding of High-Strength Steels

Creep-feed grinding of high-strength steel is prone to excessive wheel wear and thermal damage defects, which seriously affects the service performance of parts. To solve the above-mentioned issue, a creep-feed grinding test was carried out on high-strength steel using SG and CBN abrasive wheels. The grindability of high-strength steel was scrutinized in terms of grinding force, machining temperature and grinding specific energy. Moreover, the effects of operation parameters and grinder performances on the surface integrity of the workpiece such as surface morphology, roughness, residual stress and hardness were rigorously studied. The results indicate that, when the instantaneous high temperature in the grinding area reaches above the phase transition temperature of the steel, the local organization of the surface layer changes, leading to thermal damage defects in the components. The outstanding hardness and thermal conductivity of CBN abrasives are more productive in suppressing grinding burns than the high self-sharpening properties of SG grits and a more favorable machining response is achieved. The effects of thermal damage on the surface integrity of high-strength steel grinding are mainly in the form of oxidative discoloration, coating texture, hardness reduction and residual tensile stresses. Within the parameter range of this experiment, CBN grinding wheel reduces grinding specific energy by about 33% compared to SG grinding wheel and can control surface roughness below 0.8 µm. The weight of oxygen element in the burn-out workpiece accounts for 21%, and the thickness of the metamorphic layer is about 40 µm. The essential means of achieving burn-free grinding of high-strength steels is to reduce heat generation and enhance heat evacuation. The results obtained can provide technical guidance for high-quality processing of high-strength steel and precision manufacturing of high-end components.