Process monitoring of centerless grinding using acoustic emission

Because grinding is the most complicated of all machining processes, it is difficult for operators to set-up a grinding machine properly and to accurately find abnormal states that may damage products. Abnormalities in the grinding process can be caused by improper set-up or improper dressing/grinding conditions, which are likely to occur without skilled operator’s attention. This study developed an acoustic emission (AE) monitoring system that is able to detect such abnormalities. On-going process states during grinding/dressing are visualized based on sensed AE signals, which machine operators can use to judge whether or not the processes are in good condition. Evaluation tests are performed on centerless grinding machines of both cylindrical and internal type. The developed AE monitoring system was used to monitor the grinding/dressing process states, not only in cylindrical grinding but also in internal grinding, which has a more complicated process than other grinding methods.