STUDY OF GRINDING MACHINES

1.INTRODUCTION TO GRINDING MACHINE

Introduction

Grinding is a metal cutting operation like any other process of machining removing metal in
comparatively smaller volume. The cutting tool used is an abrasive wheel having many numbers of
cutting edges. The machine on which grinding the operation is performed is called a grinding
machine. Grinding is done to obtain very high dimensional accuracy and better appearance. The
accuracy of grinding process is 0.000025mm.

Fig. 1 Cutting action of Grinding wheel

Types of grinding machines

According to the accuracy of the work to be done on a grinding machine, they are classified as

1. Rough grinding machines

2. Precision grinding machines

Rough grinding machines

The rough grinding machines are used to remove stock with no reference to the accuracy of results.
Excess metal present on the cast parts and welded joints are removed by rough grinders. The main
types of rough grinders are:

1. Hand grinding machine

2. Bench grinding machine

3. Floor stands grinding machine

4. Flexible shaft grinding machine

5. Swing frame grinding machine

6. Abrasive belt grinding machine

Precision grinding machines

Precision grinders are used to finish parts to very accurate dimensions. The main types of precision
grinders are:

1. Cylindrical grinding machines

2. Internal grinding machines

3. Surface grinding machines

4. Tool and cutter grinding machines

5. Special grinding machines

Cylindrical grinding machine

Cylindrical grinders are generally used to grind external surfaces like cylinders, taper cylinders,
faces and shoulders of work. There are two types of cylindrical grinding machines and they are

1. External cylindrical grinding machines

2. Internal cylindrical grinding machines

Surface grinding machines

Surface grinding machines are employed to finish plain or flat surfaces horizontally, vertically or at
any angle.

There are four different types of surface grinders. They are:

1. Horizontal spindle and reciprocating table type

2. Horizontal spindle and rotary table type

3. Vertical spindle and reciprocating table type

4. Vertical spindle and rotary table type

2. STUDY OF GRINDING MACHINE OPERATIONS

The process of grinding is the operation of removing excess material from metal parts by a grinding
wheel made of hard abrasives. The following operations are generally performed in a grinding
machine.

1. Cylindrical grinding

2. Taper grinding

3. Gear grinding

4. Thread grinding

2.1 Cylindrical grinding

Cylindrical grinding is performed by mounting and rotating the work between centres in a
cylindrical grinding machine. The work is fed longitudinally against the rotating grinding wheel to
perform grinding. The upper table of the grinding machine is set at 0° during the operation.

Taper grinding

Taper grinding on long workpieces can be done by swivelling the upper table. If the workpiece is
short, the wheelhead may be swivelled to the taper angle. Another method of grinding external taper
is to true the face of the grinding wheel by a diamond tool dresser to the required angle. In this case,
the table and the wheelhead are not swivelled.

Gear grinding

The teeth of gears are ground accurately on gear grinding machines for their shape. Gear grinding is
done by the generating process or by using a form grinding wheel. The generating process makes use
of two saucer shaped grinding wheels. These wheels are used to grind two faces of successive teeth.

Thread grinding
Thread grinding machines are used to grind threads accurately. The grinding wheel itself is shaped to
the thread profile. These formed grinding wheels have one or multi threads on them

Result:-

The study of Grinding machine operations is completed

3. STUDY OF GRINDING WHEEL

Introduction

A grinding wheel is a multi-tooth cutter made up of many hard particles known as abrasives having
sharp edges. The abrasive grains are mixed with a suitable bond, which acts as a matrix to
manufacture grinding wheels.
According to construction, grinding wheels are classified under three categories.
1. Solid grinding wheels
2. Segmented grinding wheels
3. Mounted grinding wheels

Abrasives

Abrasives are used for grinding and polishing operations. It should have uniform physical properties
of hardness, toughness and resistance to fracture. Abrasive may be classified into two principal
groups.
1. Natural abrasives
2. Artificial abrasives
Natural abrasives
The natural abrasives are obtained from the Earth’s crust. They include sandstone, emery, corundum
and diamond. Sandstone is used as abrasive to grind softer materials only.
Emery is natural alumina. It contains aluminium oxide and iron oxide.
Corundum is also a natural aluminium oxide. It contains greater percentage of aluminium oxide than
emery.
Diamond is the hardest available natural abrasive. It is used in making grinding wheels to grind
cemented carbide tools.
Artificial abrasives
Artificial abrasives are of two types.
1. Silicon carbide abrasives
2. Aluminium oxide abrasives
Silicon carbide
Silicon carbide is manufactured from 56 parts of silica, 34 parts of powdered coke, 2 parts of salt and
12 parts of sawdust in a long rectangular electric furnace of the resistance type that is built of
loose brick work. There are two types of silicon carbide abrasives - green grit and black grit.. It is
used for grinding materials of low tensile strength such as cemented carbides, ceramic materials,
grey brass, bronze, copper, aluminium, vulcanized rubber etc.
This is manufactured under trade names of carborundum. It is denoted by the letter ‘S’.

Aluminium oxide
Aluminium oxide is manufactured by heating mineral bauxite, silica, iron oxide, titanium oxide,etc.,
mixed with ground coke and iron borings in arc type electric furnace. Aluminium oxide is tough and
not easily fractured, so it is better adapted to grinding materials of high tensile strength such as most
steels, carbon steels, high speed steels, and tough bronzes. This is denoted by the letter ‘A’.

Types of bonds
A bond is an adhesive substance that is employed to hold abrasive grains together in the form of
grinding wheels. There are several types of bonds. Different grinding wheels are manufactured by
mixing hard abrasives with suitable bonds. The table containing the types of wheels manufactured
using different types of bonds and their symbols is given in fig 2
 Fig 2.Types of Bonds

Grain size, Grade and Structure

Grain size (Grit)

The grinding wheel is made up of thousands of abrasive grains. The grain size or grit number
indicates the size of the abrasive grains used in making a wheel, or the size of the cutting teeth.There
are four different groups of the grain size namely coarse, medium, fine and very fine. If the grit
number is large, the size of the abrasive is fine and a small grit number indicates a large grain of
abrasive.

Fig 3. Grain Size

Grade
The grade of a grinding wheel refers to the hardness with which the wheel holds the abrasive
grainsin place. It does not refer to the hardness of the abrasive grains. The term ‘soft’ or ‘hard’ refers
to the resistance a bond offers to disruption of the abrasives.
 Fig 4. Grade of Grinding Wheels

Structure
The relative spacing occupied by the abrasives and the bond is referred to as structure. It is denoted
by the number and size of void spaces between grains. It may be ‘dense’ or ‘open’. Open structured
wheels are used to grind soft and ductile materials. Dense wheels are useful in grinding brittle
nmaterials.

Fig.5 Structure of Grinding Wheels

Standard marking system of grinding wheels

The Indian standard marking system for grinding wheels has been prepared with a view of
establishing a uniform system of marking of grinding wheels to designate their various
characteristics.
Prefix Manufacturer’s abrasive type symbol
First element (letter) Type of abrasive
Second element (number) Size of abrasive
Third element (letter) Grade of bond
Fourth element (number) Structure of the grinding wheel
Fifth element (letter) Type of bond
Suffix Manufacturer’s symbol

Fig.6 Marking system of grinding wheels

Result:-

The study of Grinding Wheels is completed

4. STUDY OF SURFACE GRINDING MACHINE:

Introdution
This machine may be similar to a milling machine used mainly to grind flat surface. However, some
types of surface grinders are also capable of producing contour surface with formed grinding wheel.

The functioning of Parts of Surface Grinding machine:

1.Base: It acts as a support for the entire assembly and also acts as an absorber of vibrations.

2. Hand Traversing Wheel: This traversing wheel is used to adjust the work table in a longitudinal
direction i.e. the work table can be moved in forward and backward direction by means of Hand
Traversing Wheel.

3.Cross Slide Hand wheel: This hand wheel is used to adjust the work table in up and down direction
so that the workpiece is to be placed in exact dimension w.r.t. the Grinding wheel.

4. Work Table: It is the place where the workpiece is to be held properly.

5.Column: It is the vertical column where wheel head, Wheel Guard and Abrasive Wheel are
mounted.

6.Wheel Head: It is the compartment which has to be moved up and down so that the grinding wheel
can touch the workpiece.

7. Vertical Feed Hand Wheel: This hand wheel is used to provide the feed to the wheel head in a
vertical direction which also indicates the depth of cut from the surface of the workpiece.

8. Wheel Guard: It acts as a cover on the grinding wheel to avoid the accidents.

9. Abrasive Wheel: This is the main tool which is used to remove the material from the surface of
the workpiece. It is coated with abrasives and thereby the accuracy obtained is very high.

10.Coolant: The Coolant used in Surface Grinding Process is used to cool the work region so that
heat cannot be dissipated into the workpiece and grinding wheel.
 Fig 7. Surface Grinding Machine

Types of Surface Grinding Machine

Basically there are four different types of surface grinding machines characterized by the movement
of their tables and the orientation of grinding wheel spindles as follows:

􀂃 Horizontal spindle and reciprocating table

􀂃 Vertical spindle and reciprocating table

􀂃 Horizontal spindle and rotary table

􀂃 Vertical spindle and rotary table

Horizontal spindle reciprocating table grinder:

Figure 8 a illustrates this machine with various motions required for grinding action. A disc type
grinding wheel performs the grinding action with its peripheral surface. Both traverse and plunge
grinding can be carried out in this machine as shown in Fig.

Vertical spindle reciprocating table grinder:

This grinding machine with all working motions is shown in Fig. 8c The grinding operation is
similar to that of face milling on a vertical milling machine. In this machine a cup shaped wheel
grinds the workpiece over its full width using end face of the wheel as shown in Fig. This brings
more grits in action at the same time and consequently a higher material removal rate may be
attained than for grinding with a peripheral wheel

Horizontal spindle rotary table grinder:

Surface grinding in this machine is shown in Fig. 8 b . In principle the operation is same as that for
facing on the lathe. This machine has a limitation in accommodation of workpiece and therefore
does not have wide spread use. However, by swivelling the worktable, concave or convex or tapered
surface can be produced on individual part as illustrated in Fig

Vertical spindle rotary table grinder:

The principle of grinding in this machine is shown in Fig.8 d. The machine is mostly suitable for
small workpieces in large quantities. This primarily production type machine often uses two or more
grinding heads thus enabling both roughing and finishing in one rotation of the work table.

Fig.8 Types of Surface Grinding

Result:-

The study of Surface Grinding machine is completed

6. STUDY OF CYLINDRICAL GRINDING MACHINE

Introduction

This machine is used to produce external cylindrical surface. The surfaces may be straight, tapered,
steps or profiled. Broadly there are three different types of cylindrical grinding machine as follows:
1. Plain centre type cylindrical grinder
2. Universal cylindrical surface grinder
3. Centreless cylindrical surface grinder

1. Plain centre type cylindrical grinder:

The machine is similar to a centre lathe in many respects. The workpiece is held between head stock
and tailstock centres. A disc type grinding wheel performs the grinding action with its peripheral
surface. Both traverse and plunge grinding can be carried out in this machine as shown in Fig.6.
There are two types of cylindrical grinding machines and they are

1. External cylindrical grinding machines

2. Internal cylindrical grinding machines

The functioning of Parts of Cylindrical Grinding machine:

Base

The base is made of cast iron and rests on the floor. It supports the parts mounted on it. The top of
the base is accurately machined and provides guideways for the table to slide on. The base contains
the table driving mechanisms.

Tables

The tables are mounted on top of the base. There are two tables namely lower table and upper table.
The lower table slides on the guideways on the bed. It can be moved by hand or by power within
required limits.

The upper table can be swiveled upto ±10o and clamped in position. Adjustable dogs are clamped in
longitudinal slots at the side of the lower table. They are set up to reverse the table at the end of the
stroke.

Headstock

The headstock is situated at the left side of upper table. It supports the workpiece by means of a
centre and drives it by means of a dog. It may hold and drive the workpiece in a chuck. It houses the
mechanism meant for driving the work. The headstock of a universal grinding machine can be
swiveled to any required angle.

Tailstock

The tailstock is situated at the right side of the table. It can be adjusted and clamped in various
positions to accommodate different lengths of workpieces.

Wheelhead
The wheelhead may be moved at right angles to the table ways. It is operated by hand or by power to
feed the wheel to the work.The wheelhead carries a grinding wheel. Its driving motor is mounted on
a slide at the top and rear of the base. The grinding wheel rotates at about 1500 to 2000 r.p.m.

Fig. 9 Cylindrical Grinding machine

Universal cylindrical surface grinder:

Universal cylindrical grinder is similar to a plain cylindrical one except that it is more versatile. In
addition to small worktable swivel, this machine provides large swivel of head stock, wheel head
slide and wheel head mount on the wheel head slide.

A: swivelling wheel head

B: swivelling wheel head slide

C: swivelling head stock

D: rotation of grinding wheel

Fig.10 Important features of universal cylindrical grinding machine

CENTRELESS GRINDING
Centreless grinding is a method of grinding external cylindrical, tapered and formed surfaces on
workpieces that are not held and rotated between centres or in chucks.
There are two types of centreless grinding and they are
1. External centreless grinding
2. Internal centreless grinding

EXTERNAL CENTRELESS GRINDING

Two wheels - a grinding and a regulating wheel are used in external centreless grinding. Both these
wheels are rotated in the same direction. The work is placed upon the work rest and rotated between
the wheels. The feed movement of the work along its axis past the grinding wheel is obtained by
tilting the regulating wheel at a slight angle from the horizontal. An angular adjustment of 0 to 10
degrees is provided in the machine for this purpose.The regulating wheel rotates at much lower
speeds and is inclined at a slight angle I to control through feed of the work.

The following equation can be used to predict feed rate, based on inclination angle and other
parameters of the process:

f = ¶ x Dr x Nr x sin I

Where

f, = feed rate, mm/min (in/min)

D,. = diameter of the regulating wheel, mm (in);

Nr = rotational speed of the regulating wheel, rev/min

I = inclination angle of the regulating wheel.

INTERNAL CENTRELESS GRINDING

The principle of external centreless grinding is applied to internal centreless grinding also.
Grinding is done on the inner surfaces of the holes. In internal centreless grinding, the work is
supported by three rolls - a regulating roll, a supporting roll and a pressure roll. The grinding wheel
contacts the inside surface of the workpiece directly opposite the regulating roll. The distance
between the contours of these two wheels is the wall thickness of the work.
 Fig 12 .Internal centre less Grinding
Fig 11 .External centre less Grinding
machine
machine

Result:-

The study of Cylindrical Grinding Machine is completed

7. TOOL AND CUTTER GRINDERS

Introduction
Tool and cutter grinders are used mainly to sharpen and recondition multiple tooth cutters
like reamers, milling cutters, drills, taps, hobs and other types of tools used in the shop. With various
attachments they can also do light surface, cylindrical, and internal grinding to finish such items as
jig, fixture, die and gauge details and sharpen single point tools.

They are classified according to the purpose of grinding, into two groups: Universal tool and
cutter grinders. Single-purpose tool and cutter grinders.

Universal tool and cutter grinders are particularly intended for sharpening of miscellaneous
cutters. Single-purpose grinders are used for grinding tools such as drills, tool-bits, etc. in large
production pl ants where large amount of grinding work is necessary to keep production tools in
proper cutting condition. In addition, tools can be ground uniformly and with accurate cutting
PARTS AND CONSTRUCTION OF A TOOL AND CUTTER GRINDER

Base

It supports all the other parts of the machine. The body and frame are in one unit. The driving and
feed mechanism are fitted in the body.
Saddle
It is on the top of the body; it carries the table and traverses crosswise to the table movement.
Table
It is on the saddle. It reciprocates and can be swivelled to the required angle.
Column
It is on the back of the machine and it carries the wheel head, which moves up and down for the
depth of cut.

Wheel head:
It has two grinding wheels on both ends of the spindle and can be swivelled to the required angle
(360°).
Work head
It is a separate part and is fitted on the table for cylindrical works. It is driven by a separate motor
fitted with the work head. It moves along the table and can be swivelled to any angle (180°).
A tailstock is provided for supporting the mandrel between centers.

Specification of tool and cutter grinder

1 Maximum dia. of the wheel that can be held in the spindle.

2 Maximum height of the job that can be ground.
3 Maximum length of the job that can be ground.
4 Maximum breadth of the job that can be ground.
5 Type of drive
Hydraulic
Electrical.
6 Type number.
Attachments
A tool and cutter grinding machine is also used as a surface grinding, cylindrical grinding and
internal grinding machine with the help of certain attachments.

Fig.13 Tool and Cutter Grinder

Result:-

The study of Tool and Cutter Grinder is completed