Experimental and Analytical Investigation of Workpiece Thermal Load During External Cylindrical Grinding

This paper focuses on the correlation between process quantities of an external cylindrical grinding process (heat partition factor ɛ, specific grinding energy partition uw transported to the workpiece, specific grinding power Pc″) and resulting surface and subsurface properties of the ground workpiece. In order to identify this correlation, experimental investigations were carried out and the maximum contact zone temperature Tmax was measured by using a grinding wheel-integrated temperature measurement system. The resulting surface layer properties are linked with the process quantities by means of the regression analysis combined with analytical considerations using the moving heat source theory. The results may contribute to predict resulting surface and subsurface properties of ground workpieces without detailed prior knowledge about thermal and mechanical loads caused by the grinding process.