Position motion control of workpiece steadies for compensation in the traverse grinding process

A so called dynamic workpiece steady control technique is presented for improving grinding performance in terms of grinding efficiency, workpiece form accuracy and surface quality. The technique requires the motion profiles of the workpiece steadies used to provide support for long, slender roller type workpieces during a traverse grinding pass are varied dependent upon the grinding wheel position in relation with the workpiece. Mathematical models for the workpiece steady based traverse grinding system are presented together with an iterative algorithm for the determination of the position profiles of the workpiece steadies. A case study that is based upon a simulation using the results obtained from a grinding experiment is presented to demonstrate the benefits of the motion control technique