Sweating type surface grinding wheels for self-adaptable lubricant delivery governed by cutting temperature and speed

Abstract

Thermo-regulation in grinding operation is of great research interest, especially while dealing with difficult-to-cut aerospace materials. While the green and sustainable practices demand a shift towards dry or near dry machining, smart mechanisms for the controlled delivery of lubricant to manage the generation of heat flux in the grinding zone is a research gap that pulls attraction. This paper addresses such a development in the form of a modular type grinding wheel with the ability to ‘sweat’ according to the variation of temperature at the grinding zone. The potential capabilities of additive manufacturing (3D printing) are used for the proposed configuration with a reusable inner core and replaceable abrasive segments. The wheel is designed with in-situ fluid reservoirs, facilitating its flow through porous restrictors for a self-adaptable delivery of lubricant droplets according to the variations in cutting interface temperature and as a function of cutting speed. Mathematical models and numerical simulations to understand the process variables have been included for this newly developed system. Performance studies of sweating wheel conducted on Ti6Al4V shown typical reduction in grinding temperature, force, and roughness (58 %, 37 % and 16 %, respectively), at a cutting speed of 1884 m/min and depth of cut of 20 μm, in comparison with the flood cooling of super abrasive (CBN) wheels. Thus, the proposed wheel is recommended to be a futuristic smart industrial solution for thermo-regulation in grinding achieved via the capabilities of additive manufacturing.