Geometric, kinematical and thermal analyses of non-round cylindrical grinding

•The geometry and the kinematics of an arbitrary non-round cylindrical grinding are modeled.•A thermal model based on changing grinding geometry and kinematics is developed.•A novel method of determining the specific energy into the workpiece is used.•An investigation is made into Barkhausen noise signal temperature-lag.

This paper is concerned with the analyses of grinding geometry and kinematics in the grinding zone and develops a thermal model, along with a chip-thickness-dependent value of specific grinding energy into the workpiece. The grinding geometry and kinematics are modeled for arbitrary non-round workpiece forms. Unlike other models, which are based on a fixed, constant geometry, the model presented here is based on first principles using a fundamental, transient, non-constant geometry and thus constitutes a much-needed advancement in grinding technology. A novel experimental approach is also taken, which uses the specific grinding energy into the workpiece, rather than the total specific grinding energy coupled with an estimate of the energy partition, an estimate which previously has proven difficult to achieve accurately. The model is verified with experimental work and predicted temperatures are in reasonable agreement with temperatures associated with the onset of thermal damage, determined via metallographic examination and Barkhausen noise. Finally, some of the challenges of using Barkhausen noise to evaluate thermal damage are investigated, namely the differing response characteristics of stressed and overtempered material vs. rehardened material, and how these can be overcome in practice.