Acoustic emission monitoring of high speed grinding of silicon nitride

Acoustic emission (AE) monitoring of a machining process offers real-time sensory input which could provide tool condition and part quality information that is critical to effective process control. However, the choice of sensor, its placement, and how to process the data and extract useful information are challenging application-specific questions which researchers must consider. Here we report an effort to resolve these questions for the case of high speed grinding of silicon nitride using an electroplated single-layered diamond wheel. A grinding experiment was conducted at a wheel speed of 149 m s(-1) and continued until the end of the useful wheel life. AE signal data were then collected for each complete pass at given grinding times throughout the useful wheel life. We found that the amplitude of the AE signal monotonically increases with wheel wear, as do grinding forces and energy. Furthermore, the signal power contained in the AE signal proportionally increases with the associated grinding power, which suggests that the AE signal could provide quantitative information of wheel wear in high-speed grinding, and could also be used to determine when the grinding wheel needs replacement. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.