Soap Mist Jet Cooling of Grinding Processes

Abstract

Grinding, like other abrasive processes, may generate high local temperatures along the arc of cut. These can cause various forms of surface damage in the most sensitive finishing phase of the manufacturing cycle. Traditional cooling methods based on large amounts of water-oil emulsions can be both ineffective and environmentally unacceptable. A new approach to this problem has been devised utilizing the high penetrative power of fast air jets combined with a water/soap mist to greatly improve convective cooling and lubrication along the arc of cut. The results obtained offer striking improvements compared to traditional liquid coolants especially if the relative simplicity of the method is considered.