ESTIMATION OF GRINDING FORCE FOR CERAMICS

Grinding forces on ceramics have been expressed by quadratic functions of the maximum grain depth of cut g, a function of a grinding condition including various kinds of setting parameters. The variation of g was very small in comparison with the grain size. Thus, the expressions are based on the assumption that the number of abrasive grains is dependent only on the specification of a grinding wheel such as the grain size classification and the volume fraction of the grain. Grinding forces on B, C-doped silicon carbide ceramics showed good agreement with the estimation by the expressions. The coefficients in the expressions were obtained as a function of the number of grains on unit width of the wheel, which was calculated from the grain size classification and the volume fraction of the grain. It is suggested that change in grinding force is easily predicted from the specification of the wheel and the grinding condition.