Grinding

Grinding is a process of removing material by the abrasive action of a Revolving Wheel (called
as grinding wheel) from the surface of a workpiece, in order to bring it to the required shape and
size. It consists of Sharp Crystals, called Abrasives, held together by a Binding material or Bond.
The Wheel may be a Single piece or Solid type or may be composed of Several Segments of
Abrasive Blocks joined together. In most cases, it is a Finishing Operation and a very small
amount of material is removed from the surface during the operation.
Grinding wheel
A grinding is composed of an abrasive compound used for various grinding (abrasive cutting)
and abrasive machining operations. They are used in grinding machines. The wheels are
generally made from a matrix of coarse particles pressed and bonded together to form a
solid, circular shape, various profiles and cross sections are available depending on the intended
usage for the wheel. They may also be made from a solid steel or aluminum disc with particles
bonded to the surface.
A Grinding Wheel essentially consists of the following two materials:
1. Bond: This material of the grinding wheel acts as a binder to hold the Abrasive grains
together.
2. Abrasives: It is that material of the Grinding Wheel which does the cutting action. These
are extremely hard materials consisting of very small particles called grains, which carry a
number of sharp Cutting Edges and Corners. Examples are silicon carbide, aluminium
oxide, etc.
Characteristics:
There are five characteristics of a cutting wheel:
1. Material: for the actual abrasive, is selected according to the hardness of the material
being cut. The frequently used materials are: Aluminium Oxide, Silicon Carbide, Diamond,
etc.
2. Grain size (Grit): from 8 (coarsest) 600 (finest), determines the physical size of the
abrasive grains in the wheel. A larger grain will cut freely, allowing fast cutting but poor
surface finish. Ultra-fine grain sizes are for precision finish work.
3.Wheel grade: from A (soft) to Z (hard), determines how tightly the bond holds
(strength) the abrasive. Softer wheels are preferred for harder materials and vice-versa.
4. Grain spacing or structure: from 1 (densest) to 16 (least dense). Density is the ratio
of bond and abrasive to air space. A less-dense wheel will cut freely, and has a large effect on
surface finish. It is also able to take a deeper or wider cut with less coolant, as the chip
clearance on the wheel is greater.

5. Wheel bond: indicates that the material by which the wheel holds the abrasives, this
affects finish, coolant, and minimum/maximum wheel speed.
Grade represents the strength of the bond whereas the structure represents the spacing
between the grains or the density of the abrasive particles (i.e dense (1) to least dense (16).
Brittle and hard materials need a grinding wheel with dense structure.
Types of Grinding Wheel:
1. Straight wheel : most common style of wheel and can be found on bench or pedestal
grinders. They are used on the periphery only and therefore produce a slightly concave surface
(hollow ground) on the part. Straight Wheels are generally used for cylindrical, centre-less, and
surface grinding operations.
2. Cylinder or wheel ring: Cylinder wheels provide a long, wide surface with no center
mounting support (hollow). They can be very large, up to 12" in width. They are used only in
vertical or horizontal spindle grinders.
3. Tapered wheel: is stronger than straight wheels and can accept higher lateral
loads. Tapered face straight wheel is primarily used for grinding thread, gear teeth etc.
4. Diamond wheel: used for grinding extremely hard materials such as carbide
cutting tips, gemstones or concrete. Cut off wheels
5. Cut off wheels: also known as parting wheels, are self-sharpening wheels that are
thin in width and often have radial fibers reinforcing them. They are often used in the
construction industry for cutting reinforcement bars, protruding bolts or anything that
needs quick removal or trimming.
Grinding Machines:
The machines to performs the grinding operations.
Roughing or nonprecision grinder
Precision grinder
1.Bench grinder
1. Cylindrical grinder
2. Pedestal grinder
2. Surface grinder
3. Portable grinder
3. Internal grinder
Grinding Operations:
1. Surface grinding: Surface grinding is normally used to grind plain flat surfaces. It is
performed using either the periphery of the grinding wheel or the flat face of the wheel. Because
the work is normally held in a horizontal orientation, peripheral grinding is performed by
rotating the wheel about a horizontal axis, and face grinding is performed by rotating the wheel

about a vertical axis.In either case,the relative motion of the work part is achieved by
reciprocating the work past the wheel or by rotating it.
2. Cylindrical grinding: cylindrical grinding is used for rotational parts. These
grinding operations divide into two basic (a) external cylindrical grinding and (b) internal
cylindrical grinding. External cylindrical grinding is performed much like a turning
operation. Internal cylindrical grinding operates somewhat like a boring operation. The
workpiece is usually held in a chuck and rotated to provide surface speeds. The wheel is fed in
either of two ways: traverse feed, or plunge feed.
3. Face grinding: It is a method of grinding Vertical flat surface.
4. Form grinding: The formed surfaces can be produced by this method of grinding
using a formed wheel.
5. Centered Grinding: In this method the work piece is held from the sides between the
supports and grinding wheel is brought in the contact for machining operation.
6. Centre-less grinding: In this method the external cylindrical surfaces are generated
by supporting the work on the regulating wheel, grinding wheel and work rest
(support)blade. Centre- less grinding is of three types:
(a) Through-feed grinding, (b) In-feed grinding, (c) End-Feed Grinding
7. Off-hand grinding: It is roughening operation. In this method the work is held by
hands and grinding is performed on the items on which accuracy is not of primary
importance.
8. Creep Feed Grinding: Creep feed grinding is performed at very high depths of cut
and very low feed rates; hence, the name creep feed.