Surface Topography of Mini-Size Diamond Wheel in Ultrasonic Assisted Grinding (UAG)

Abstract

The objectives of this paper are to describe a quantitative evaluation of mini-size diamond grinding wheel surface topography in Ultrasonic Assisted Grinding (UAG) process and demonstrate the effects of topography on grinding characteristics. In this study, threedimensional (3D) analysis of the wheel working surface was observed using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) with four electron probes (hereafter described as 3D-SEM) in an on-surface UAG process. These results indicated that a good wheel surface maintained in the UAG process is related to the number and the area of cutting edges. Additionally, the resulting topographic features of the grinding wheel surface are closely related to low grinding forces and allow easy manufacturing of a mirror workpiece surface.