| Summary: | The grinding process must achieve the desired component surface finish without producing detrimental workpiece surface layer alterations. These objectives have traditionally been achieved intuitively by skilled operators. Adaptive control, however, offers an opportunity to monitor and control surface integrity during the grinding process. The cylindrical plunge grinding machine adapted for the purposes of this research monitors normal and tangential grinding forces, wheelpower and the amplitude of chatter vibration. The control system is capable of achieving constant normal force machining by adjusting the plunge infeed rate of the wheel. This research is concerned with the feasibility of controlling surface integrity on this and simi lar grinding machines. The research has been carried out by a combination of long duration tests to examine the behaviour of grinding forces, wheelpower and vibration levels with respect to time and shorter duration tests to examine component surface finishes. The results of the tests have enabled models to be developed which relate component surface finishes to metal removal rates. normal grinding forces and chatter vibration levels. Work piece burn and its prevention have also been studied. A method of eliminating workpiece burn has been proposed which utilises in-process normal and tangential force monitoring.
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