Development and Applications of Laser Generated Microstructures on CBN Grinding Wheels

The work describes a method utilizing ultra-short pulsed technology for covering the range of required conditioning processes on superabrasive grinding tools i.e. sharpening, cleaning, dressing, microstructuring and profiling. Furthermore, an analytical approach was proposed for modelling the grinding energy and workpiece surface characteristics based on the measured actual grain distribution on the grinding tool surface. The action of individual grains was simulated through a Finite Element (FE) approach and was extended to the aggregate action of whole grains present on the grinding tool surface according to the process kinematics and tool/workpiece contact conditions. Cylindrical grinding of ductile materials was specifically investigated. However, the generated model is composed of modularly interconnected calculation and evaluation blocks, which facilitates the extension of the model to further material models and grinding processes.