Heat flux distributions and convective heat transfer in deep grinding

By using experimental data including the monitored temperature and power signals, combined with detailed theoretical analysis, the relationship between the undeformed grinding chip thickness and specific grinding energy has been studied and used to derive the heat flux distribution along the wheel-work contact zone. The relationship between the grinding chip thickness and specific grinding energy (SGE) has been shown to follow an exponential trend over a wide range of material removal rates. The distribution of the total grinding heat flux, q(t), along the grinding zone does not follow a simple linear form. It increases at the trailing edge with sharp gradients and then varies nearly linearly for the remainder of the contact length. The heat flux entering into the workpiece, q(w), is estimated by matching the measured and theoretical grinding temperatures, and it has been found that the square law heat flux distribution seems to give the best match, although the triangular heat flux is good enough for most cases to generate accurate temperature predictions. With the known heat flux distributions of q(t), and q(w), the heat flux to the grinding fluid can then be estimated once the heat partitioning to the grinding wheel is determined by the Hahn model for a grain sliding on a workpiece. The convective heat transfer coefficient of the grinding fluid has been shown to vary along the grinding zone. An understanding of this variation is important in order to optimise the grinding fluid supply strategy, especially under deep grinding conditions when contact lengths are large. It has been demonstrated that the down grinding mode can provide a beneficial fluid supply condition, in which the fluid enters the grinding zone at the position of highest material removal where a high convective cooling function is needed. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.