Effects of process parameters on workpiece roundness in tangential-feed centerless grinding using a surface grinder

The present authors proposed a new centerless grinding method using a surface grinder in their previous study [Wu, Y., Kondo, T., Kato, M., 2005. A new centerless grinding technique using a surface grinder. J. Mater. Process. Technol. 162–163, 709–717]. In this method, a compact centerless grinding unit composed mainly of an ultrasonic elliptic-vibration shoe is installed onto the worktable of a multipurpose surface grinder to perform tangential-feed centerless grinding operations. However, for the complete establishment of the new method it is crucial to clarify the workpiece rounding process and the effects of process parameters such as the worktable feed rate, the stock removal and the workpiece rotational speed on the machining accuracy, i.e., workpiece roundness, so that the optimum grinding conditions can be determined. In this paper, the effects of the process parameters on workpiece roundness are investigated by simulation and experiments. For the simulation analysis, a grinding model taking into account the elastic deformation of the machine is created. Then, a practical way to determine the machining-elasticity parameter is developed. Further, simulation analysis is carried out to predict the variation of workpiece roundness during grinding and to discover how the process parameters affect the roundness. Finally, actual grinding operations are performed by installing the previously constructed unit onto a CNC surface grinder to confirm the simulation results. The obtained results indicate that: (1) a slower worktable feed rate and higher workpiece rotational speed give better roundness; (2) better roundness can be also obtained when the stock removal is set at a larger value; (3) the workpiece roundness was improved from an initial value of 23.9 μm to a final value of 0.84 μm after grinding.