Thermal Aspects and Grinding Aggressiveness in View of Optimizing High-Performance Grinding Operations in the Automotive Industry

This paper first reviews early contributions to modeling and analysis of thermal aspects in grinding. The role of specific energy in the determination of grinding temperatures is then discussed with respect to both chip thickness and grinding aggressiveness. The underlying modeling of cylindrical grinding is given in general terms, enabling calculation of the instantaneous geometry, kinematics and temperature for any workpiece form. The focus is on the recently developed concept of constant-temperature grinding, which entails choosing process parameters based on a thermal model for achieving a constant temperature and then optimizing the grinding process for either shorter cycle times or higher quality while applying constant temperature. Machine limitations — in terms of maximum speed, acceleration, and jerk in the headstock and wheelhead movement — are considered in the optimization. Case studies and experimental work are presented for high-performance industrial cam-lobe grinding used in the automotive industry.