Power and Wheel Wear for Grinding Nickel Alloy with Plated CBN Wheels

Electroplated CBN grinding wheels are manufactured with a single layer of abrasive grains. The grinding performance of these plated wheels changes significantly as the wheel wears down. The present investigation was undertaken to understand the transient grinding behavior with electroplated CBN wheels in order to provide a logical basis for process control. In this paper, particular attention is directed to the effect of wheel wear and operating parameters on grinding of a nickel alloy. Wheels were worn to various stages and then used to perform grinding tests under various grinding conditions to measure grinding forces and power and to produce ground specimens. Based on models for grinding with conventional aluminum oxide wheels, a power model for grinding of a nickel alloy with plated CBN wheels was established and validated. Microscopic observations of the ground specimens reveal that thermal damage in the form of a White Etch Layer (WEL) appears only when grinding with a worn wheel under conditions that lead to high temperatures.