TEMPERATURE AND ENERGY PARTITION IN HIGH-SPEED GRINDING OF ALUMINA WITH A BRAZED DIAMOND WHEEL

An investigation is reported on the temperatures and energy partitions for high speed grinding of alumina with a brazed diamond wheel. The grinding temperature at the wheel-workpiece interface was measured using a pair of grindable foil thermocouples. The energy partition to the workpiece was evaluated by matching the analytical temperatures to the measured results. The influences of the grinding conditions, including wheel speed, the depth of cut, workpiece velocity, and material removal rate, on the temperatures and energy partitions were investigated. In all tests, the maximum grinding zone temperature rise was below 260 degrees C. The energy partitions to the workpiece obtained under different grinding conditions varied from 30% to 75%. The calculated diamond tip temperature might be over 1000 degrees C if the circular grain contact radius of contact was less than a critical value.