International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 43 (2003) 965972

An investigation on solid lubricant moulded grinding wheels

S. Shaji , V. Radhakrishnan
1

Manufacturing Engineering Section, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, Chennai 600 036, India Received 12 July 2002; received in revised form 24 February 2003; accepted 27 February 2003

Abstract The conventional ood coolants employed in grinding suffer many limitations in performing their functions. They cannot be recommended in the light of ecological and economic manufacture. Application of solid lubricant in grinding has proved to be a feasible alternative to the uid coolants, if it could be applied in a proper way. Towards nding out an improved method of application of solid lubricant, attempts on development of solid lubricant moulded grinding wheels with various bonding and lubricants have been reported here. Such wheels with resin bonding were successfully made and improved process results were obtained. But the wheel wear depended on the type of the lubricant used. 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Grinding; Lubrication; Coolant; Graphite; Calcium uoride; Solid lubricant

1. Introduction The functions of cutting uid in grinding are critical in ensuring product quality, because of the intense heat generation and the consequent risk of thermal damage associated with the process [1,2]. Liquid coolants, applied in ood form, are the conventional choice to achieve cooling and lubrication in grinding. Many limitations have been observed in this approach, though it is a means for effective removal of grinding swarf and wheel cleaning. The air barrier inhibits the ow of cutting uids into the grinding zone [2]. Even if a little quantity reaches there, lm boiling is another limitation to the heat control [3]. When the grinding zone temperature exceeds a certain limit, lubricity of the uid is degraded [4]. Grinding uids also incur a signicant share of the total manufacturing cost [5,6]. Moreover, the use of it is not advisable as it can have negative impact on workers health [7,8]. All these factors prompt investigations on the development of new abrasive technologies with uid minimization or elimination strategies by substituting the functions, which have to be
Corresponding author. Present address: Government Engineering College, Trivandrum, Kerala 695 035, India. E-mail address: shajisenadhipan@rediffmail.com (S. Shaji). 1 Present address: School of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639 798.

normally met by them, through some other means. Use of biodegradable and cryo-coolants and the concept of minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) are the alternative approaches in this direction [2,9]. If friction at the wheelworkpiece interaction can be minimized, by providing effective lubrication, the heat intensity responsible for thermal damage can be reduced to some extent. Advancement in modern tribology has identied many solid lubricants, which can sustain and provide lubricity over a wider range of temperatures [10,11]. If suitable solid lubricant can be successfully applied to the grinding zone in a proper way, it should yield better process results than conventional grinding. These authors have investigated the feasibility of application of graphite as lubricant in surface grinding [12]. In this preliminary study, graphite was applied in a suitable paste form to the working surface of the wheel, with a special attachment. The effective role of graphite as lubricant was evident from the improvement of process results related to frictional factors. But the wheel clogging in the absence of proper ushing and non-uniformity of lubricant admission were found to be a major hindrance in obtaining more desirable results. If lubricant can be applied in a more rened and dened way, just sufcient for effective lubrication, improved process results could be expected. An ideal way of application of solid lubricant in grinding is to have a built-in supply of lubricant from the

0890-6955/03/$ - see front matter 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/S0890-6955(03)00064-6

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wheel itself. This paper deals with investigations on solid lubricant moulded grinding wheels by including lubricant in the wheel structure during the moulding stage. Trials were done to develop wheels of vitried and resin bonding with various compositions of solid lubricants. Besides graphite, calcium uoride (CaF2), which is also a commonly used high temperature solid lubricant, has been tried [10,11].

2. Development of wheels 2.1. Trials with vitried bonded wheels The majority of grinding wheels used in general engineering industry are of vitried bond. Vitried bond is made of clay or feldspar which fuses at high temperature to form a glass like structure. Vitried bonds are strong, rigid, impart good nish and are insensitive to water or other grinding uids. For making the wheel, the ingredients such as abrasive grains, bonding material, porosity media, water etc. are uniformly mixed and properly moulded. These green wheels are baked at very high temperature for a long duration, followed by slow cooling [1316]. Several trials were done to make solid lubricant moulded vitried bonded wheels with A60K5 wheel composition by mixing solid lubricant powder along with the usual ingredients, during the moulding stage. Trials were done to make graphite and CaF2 moulded wheels separately, with lubricant composition of 5% and 10% by weight, but failed due to various reasons. The vitrifying temperature is of the order of 1400 C. Graphite starts to oxidise at about 550 C. If the ring is done in the presence of oxygen, graphite will decompose loosing its lubricative property and the resulting products would affect the bonding strength of the wheel. As a suitable reduction furnace was not available, attempts to make the graphite moulded wheels were done by embedding the lubricant moulded green wheel in graphite mass itself with sufcient packing thickness such that the chances of oxidation would not affect the wheel. But the wheels produced were multi-coloured, showing the occurrence of oxidation. These wheels could not withstand the speed testing at the standard conditions. CaF2 moulded wheels were also made in the same way, but they also failed in the speed test. At high temperature, CaF2 might react with the silicate ingredients, producing products which weakened the bond structure. 2.2. Trials with resin bonded wheels Resin bonded wheels are manufactured in a similar manner to the vitried wheels, but the bonding medium is thermosetting synthetic resin and the baking temperature is of the order of 150200 C only. These wheels

are soft structured and are used for high speed grinding, rough grinding, cutting-off operations etc. The wheel wear rate is high and the wheel softens when exposed to grinding uids [1316]. The low baking temperature involved in resin bonding prompted the trials with solid lubricants included in the wheel structure during moulding. An A60L5BM4 (25076.225 mm size) wheel was taken as the standard wheel. This wheel consists of ingredients of 91% abrasive grain and 9% bonding material by weight. Three graphite moulded wheels were made by adding graphite in 3%, 6% and 9% by weight to the standard wheel ingredients. Similarly, three CaF2 moulded wheels were also made by adding CaF2 in 5%, 10% and 15% by weight to the standard wheel. The possibility of weakening the bond strength constrained the inclusion of graphite in lower proportion. However, CaF2 increases adhesiveness and enhances the bonding strength at higher temperature [17]. All wheels withstood speed testing at standard conditions.

3. Analysis of critical process parameters In any machining set-up, a systematic analysis of process parameters is essential to nd out their relative inuence on the direct process outputs or on the secondary variables which have direct impact on the process results. Taguchis method of experimental design has become a powerful tool for serving this purpose and thereby optimising the process outputs [18,19]. Grinding is a complex manufacturing process, with a large number of interacting variables, and the process outputs depend on the wheel characteristic, workpiece characteristic, machine characteristic and the operating conditions. In a given grinding set-up of wheel, workpiece and machine, the relative inuence of process parameters on process outputs or on other secondary variables has been analysed here, based on Taguchis approach, in order to proceed with further experimentation. Taking normal force, tangential force and surface roughness as quality characteristics and speed, feed, infeed and mode of dressing as factors of study on three levels, Taguchis L9 orthogonal array was followed for the analysis. Experiments were conducted in a horizontal surface grinding machine with bearing steel (En-31) as workpiece and employing the standard wheel A60L5BM4. The relative inuence of various factors was determined through the ANOVA based on S/N data. Infeed was found to be the most inuential factor on both normal and tangential forces (about 85%). As the forces developed in the process directly depend upon the undeformed chip thickness, the prominent inuence of the infeed on forces is understandable [20,21]. In the case of surface roughness, though the mode of dressing was found to have a prominent inuence, its relative contribution was substantially less (about 40%), when

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compared to that with vitried wheels (about 75%) [22]. The soft structure of resin bonding is sensitive to thermal loading. Wheel wear is dominated by thermal softening of bonds and their failure, rather than grain fracture and subsequent bond fracture due to mechanical stress in the case of vitried wheels [1315]. As the wear rate is higher in the case of resin wheels, the mode of dressing will not have much inuence on the process results, except at the initial stage of cutting.

4. Experimentation Based on the preliminary ndings on the inuence of process parameters, experiments for the performance analysis of the newly developed wheels were done in one dressing mode only, varying the infeed in steps. The experimental conditions are shown in Table 1. The factors selected for the study are force components, force ratio, specic energy, surface roughness, wheel wear and intermittent forces in continuous test. For force measurements a three- component quartz dynamometer (Kistlertype 9257B) with charge amplier (Kistler type 5019B) and a two-channel oscilloscope connected directly to a PC were employed. The forces reported are those when the process was in stable state with almost steady pulses. Surface roughness (Ra) of the ground part was taken using a Talysurf.

5. Results and discussion The comparative performance analyses of the solid lubricant moulded wheels with the standard wheel were done separately for graphite and CaF2 moulded wheels. Figs. 1 and 2 show the comparisons of normal and tangential force components obtained (per unit width of the wheel) for different wheels, when both types of workpieces were ground. Grinding forces are important parameters by which performance of any grinding process
Table 1 Experimental conditions Machine Wheel

can be evaluated. These forces may consist of components due to primary ploughing, secondary ploughing, shearing, micro fracturing, wheel loading and friction between the grain ats, the bonding material, redeposited debris etc. and the workpiece [23]. The relative contributions of these elements depend upon the type of work material, abrasive characteristics, wheel surface condition, process parameters and the presence of grinding uid. In all the cases under study, force components increased with infeed as expected. This agrees with the various physical and empirical models reported which mention that force components are directly proportional to the mean undeformed chip thickness, which in turn is directly proportional to the infeed [20,21]. The productive components of the forces, which result in material removal such as shearing, micro fracturing and secondary ploughing etc. are non-frictional in nature and are more or less proportional to the infeed. The nonproductive components of forces, which are mostly frictional in nature, are almost independent of infeed [23]. Normal force or radial force component inuences all the parameters pertaining to the performance of a grinding wheel. This force presses the abrasive grains into the work surface and penetrates the surface, leading to material removal. At higher infeeds, the normal force increases causing more material removal. This force is also responsible for wheel wear, as when the thrust on the wheel exceeds certain limits, the grain fracture and bond fracture will occur. It also affects the surface roughness and the geometrical and dimensional accuracy of the nished component. Wheel clogging by grinding swarf also causes an increase in the normal force, by hindering the effective penetration of grains into the work surface. The normal forces obtained were lower with the lubricant moulded wheels compared to the standard wheel, in all the cases. The normal force components due to the frictional effects are reduced due to the effective lubrication by lubricant moulded wheels. In the earlier study on the external application of lubricant with vitried wheels, the normal forces obtained in some

Workpiece material Cutting speed Feed Infeed Method of grinding Dressing conditions

BLOHM Horizontal spindle surface grinding machine, 6.5 kW 1. Standard: A60L5BM4, CUMI make 2. Graphite moulded wheels with 3%, 6% and 9% graphite by weight included in the wheel 3. CaF2 moulded wheels with 5%, 10% and 15% CaF2 by weight included in the wheel (All wheels are of 25076.225 mm size) 1. Medium carbon steel (En-2), HRC 22 2. Bearing steel (En-31), HRC 60 42 m/s 10 m/min 1080 m in steps of 10 m Dry With single point diamond dresser, 1 carat, at wheel speed of 2500 rpm in dry condition with 20 m dressing depth, 150 mm/min cross feed and without any spark out pass

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Fig. 1.

Comparison of normal forces (per unit width of the wheel) in the case of lubricant moulded wheels with different workpieces.

Fig. 2.

Comparison of tangential forces (per unit width of the wheel) in the case of lubricant moulded wheels with different workpieces.

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cases were higher than those in normal grinding, due to the non-uniform supply of lubricant and increased chances of wheel clogging [12]. But here, an efcient way of lubricant supply, which minimized wheel clogging by grinding swarf, might reduce the normal force to some extent. As the wear rate is higher with resin wheels, fresh grains might also more frequently come into contact with the workpiece on subsequent passes, preventing the increase of forces due to grain dullness. The tangential force component determines the power requirement in the process. The intensity of heat generation depends upon this force and it is primarily important as far as the grinding temperatures and surface integrity aspects of the products are concerned. The lubricant effectiveness in minimizing the frictional effects at the wheelworkpiece interaction in the case of lubricant moulded wheels is evident from the reduced tangential forces compared to the standard wheel. But higher quantities of lubricant inclusion do not reduce forces signicantly compared with the lowest quantity. This might be due to a possible saturation in lubricant effectiveness. The ratio of tangential force to normal force (Ft/Fn) is termed grinding coefcient [24] or grinding force ratio [20,21]. In grinding, the normal force is approximately double the tangential force, unlike in other machining

processes like turning and milling [16,24]. This is due to grinding process characteristics such as very large negative rake angles of the grit, excessive rubbing action and adverse chip accommodation space which leads to wheel loading. This force ratio, though it does not give the actual coefcient of friction (m), is a similar term like m and gives an indication of the frictional effects in the grinding zone [24]. Fig. 3 shows the comparison of grinding force ratio for different lubricant moulded wheels. This ratio is generally lower in all the cases of lubricant moulded wheels, compared to the standard wheel, substantiating the effective lubrication by solid lubricant in those cases. This ratio has been reported as differing considerably depending upon the material of the workpiece and indicates the workpiece behaviour in the process [20,21]. The present results show that for the same material the grinding environment providing effective lubrication changes this ratio remarkably. This may be attributed to the behaviour of the material in the presence of solid lubricant. Fig. 4 shows the comparison of specic energy, which is the energy required per unit volume of material removal, obtained with various types of wheels. The size effect, which is the drastic increase of specic energy at comparatively lower infeeds could be clearly observed in all the cases [14,16]. The energy require-

Fig. 3. Comparison of grinding force ratio in the case of lubricant moulded wheels (different workpieces).

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Fig. 4.

Comparison of specic energy in the case of lubricant moulded wheels (different workpieces).

ment in material removal can be classied as due to the sliding, ploughing and chip formation components. The size effect in grinding is due to the variation of relative amount of these components in contributing towards the unit material removal. Sliding can be due to elastic contact between the abrasive grit and workpiece and rubbing of wear at of grains, bonding material, grinding debris etc. with the workpiece. Ploughing causes metal to be displaced sideways around the grain rather than be removed as chip. These non-productive energy components depend mostly upon the ductility and hardness of the workpiece, sharpness of the grains and the local lubrication [23]. At relatively smaller infeeds, domination of sliding and ploughing components with relatively less chip formation calls for higher specic energy [14]. The percentage contribution of these components in the total specic grinding energy at higher infeeds is reduced, because these factors of energy are more or less independent of infeed after certain limit. In the case of lubricant moulded wheels, local lubrication by solid lubricants reduces the sliding and primary ploughing component of forces to some extent and results in reduced specic energy, especially at lower infeeds. At higher material removal or infeeds the specic energy converges to more or less the same value (~15 J/mm3). This agrees with Malkin and Andersons [25] postulation that at higher infeeds the ploughing component of grind-

ing energy approaches zero and in the limit, the specic cutting energy (which is the sum of ploughing energy and chip formation energy) corresponds to the specic energy required for chip formation. Chip formation energy is assumed to be constant for a particular material. For ferrous material it is 13.8 J/mm3, irrespective of the hardness of the material [14]. Fig. 5 shows the comparisons of workpiece surface roughness. Surface topography of the wheel determines the nature of the tribological interaction between the wheel and workpiece. Workpiece surface roughness is the minute scratches formed by the interacting wheel surface under the dynamic conditions of the process. The surface roughness scatter is not wider for various types of wheels. This is due to the fact that for a particular wheel, the surface condition of the wheel is more or less the same for all conditions of infeed, due to the increased wear of the resin bonding. The wheel lost its dressed surface condition immediately after the initial passes. But, in the case of vitried wheels, it can maintain the surface condition of the wheel for a longer duration as its wear rate is less [12]. Fig. 6 shows wheel wear for different wheels. The wear of graphite-moulded wheels was higher, but that of CaF2-molded wheels was lower, when compared to the standard wheel. The presence of graphite may weaken the bonding, leading to higher wear. It is notice-

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Fig. 5.

Comparison of workpiece surface roughness obtained under different grinding conditions.

Fig. 6.

Wheel wear obtained with different wheels. Fig. 7. Intermittent forces obtained in continuous grinding test.

able that the wear is very high with 9% graphite inclusion. The difference in trend with CaF2 might be due to the fusion bonding nature of CaF2 [17]. It is also noticeable that wear with 15% CaF2 inclusion is more than that with 10% CaF2 inclusion. This might be due to a saturation in the bonding strength due to the presence of CaF2 at some limit and any further increase of lubricant inclusion would be weakening the bond. This is also on par with the saturation in the lubricant effectiveness observed earlier. Fig. 7 shows the force pattern obtained from intermittent measurements during continuous grinding test. The test was done with bearing steel workpiece, giving 10

m infeed for every upgrinding pass. Forces were measured in every 25th pass. The force values are more or less the same throughout the test. This is in contrast to the case with vitried wheels, where forces increased to certain extent in continuous test [24]. As the wheel wear rate is higher with resin wheels, during continuous grinding, fresh grains might frequently come into interaction. But with vitried wheels, where the wheel wear is dominated by the mechanical fracture, load on the wheel increases till the critical force required for the friability of grains occurs.

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6. Conclusion As an alternative way to extract the advantages of solid lubricant application in grinding throughout the usage of the wheel, solid lubricant moulded resin wheels were developed with graphite and CaF2 separately, by including solid lubricants during the moulding stage of the wheel. Trials to make such wheels with vitried bonding failed due to higher vitrifying temperature and non-availability of a good reduction furnace for ring. The effectiveness of lubricants was evident from the improved process results related to friction. The wheel wear depended on the type of the lubricant used. It was higher with graphite and lower with CaF2. Saturation in lubricant effectiveness could be observed on increase of the quantity of lubricant.

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