Experimental study on temperatures and energy partition at the diamond–granite interface in grinding

An investigation is reported of the temperatures and energy partition for grinding of granite with a diamond grinding wheel. Temperature responses in the grinding zone were measured using a two-color infrared detector. The measurement, together with the net grinding power, was subsequently used to estimate the energy partition to the granite by temperature matching technique, whereby the measured temperature is equated to the theoretical value. Measured temperature responses were in good agreement with analytical predictions for a moving heat source with a triangular distribution at the grinding zone. It was found that about 70% of the generated energy at the wheel–workpiece interface is transported as heat to the grinding wheel. Based on the energy partition value obtained from the experiments, the diamond tip temperature was calculated and found to be over 1000°C if the circular grain contact of radius is less than a critical value.