Theoretical analysis of heat partition and temperatures in grinding

A theoretical analysis is presented of heat partition and surface temperatures for the grinding of hardened steel with both aluminum oxide and CBN wheels. The numerical predictions of the model are shown to agree with experimental results available in the literature. It is found that heat partition varies over a wide range depending on grinding conditions. Also, heat partition is a strong function of position inside the grinding zone. The presence of the fluid inside the grinding zone can reduce the heat flux into the workpiece and the workpiece temperature significantly. For typical grinding of steel with CBN wheels, or creep feed grinding of steel with aluminum oxide or CBN wheels, it is possible to keep the fluid active and therefore to reduce thermal damage. However, the analysis suggests that the fluid may not be effective inside the grinding zone, in the conventional grinding of steel with aluminum oxide, due to boiling.