ME 46 Machine Shop Theory

and Practice
 Grinding Machine
Grinding Machine Definition:

• A grinding machine or grinder - is an industrial power

tool that uses an abrasive wheel for cutting or removing
the material.

• It is a process of metal cutting by using a rotating

abrasive wheel from the surface of the work piece.

• Generally, grinding is done to obtain very high

dimensional accuracy and better appearance. The
accuracy of grinding process is 0.000025mm. The
amount of material removed from the work is very less.
Engr. V.C. Alfarero
 Grinding Machine
Working Principle of Grinding Machine:

• In a grinding machine - there is an electric motor which

supplies the motion power to the grinding wheel with
the help of a belt and pulley.

• So when we start the electric motor, the motor rotates

at a certain rpm (150-15000 RPM, it may change
according to the types of grinding machine) with the
help of V-belt and cone pulley the grinding wheel also
starts rotating and we perform the operation.

Engr. V.C. Alfarero

 Grinding Machine
Types of Grinding Machines
 Rough Grinding Machine - 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:
 Portable grinding Machine
 Bench Grinding Machine
 Floor Stands Grinding Machine
 Flexible Shaft Grinding Machine
 Swing Frame Grinding Machine
Engr. V.C. Alfarero  Abrasive belt Grinding Machine
 Grinding Machine
 Hand Grinding Machine/Portable Grinders:

As the name indicates Portable

that means it is not fixed at one
point. The portable grinder is
used for cutting tiles.

Engr. V.C. Alfarero

 Grinding Machine
 Bench Grinding Machines:

Bench grinding machine - is

a small type of machine used in
the labs where a small work
piece has to grind.

For example, when we

manufacture a single-point
cutting tool for a lathe machine
we use to manufacture by floor
Engr. V.C. Alfarero
or bench grinder.
 Grinding Machine
 Floor Stands Grinding Machines:
Floor stands grinding
machine – stands waist-line and
is secured to the floor by bolts.
The two wheel arrangement
permits installing a coarse grain
wheel for roughing purposes on
one end on the shaft and a fine
grain wheel for finishing purposes
on the other end, this saves the
time that would be otherwise
consumed in changing wheels.
Engr. V.C. Alfarero
 Grinding Machine
 Flexible Shaft Grinding Machines:

Flexible Shaft Grinding

machine - is widely used in
fabrication workshops, foundries
and heavy industries. It is very
suitable for heavy and or
lengthy jobs where it is not
possible to lift the job or get the
same close to the grinding
machine.

Engr. V.C. Alfarero

 Grinding Machine
 Swing Frame Grinding Machines:

Swing frame grinding

machine - is rugged, heavy-
duty, high speed grinder with
full lateral movement for use in
foundries and steel mills.

Engr. V.C. Alfarero

 Grinding Machine
 Abrasive Grinders:

Abrasive grinder - is a similar

type of these grinders but the
main difference is here abrasive
is used while cutting and
finishing the job. This is more
costly than the floor and
portable grinder.

Engr. V.C. Alfarero

 Grinding Machine
Types of Grinding Machines

 Precision Grinding Machines - are used to finish

parts to a very accurate dimensions.
The main types of precision grinders are:
 Cylindrical Grinding Machine (External Cylindrical
Grinding Machine, Internal Cylindrical Grinding Machine)
 Internal Grinding Machines
 Surface Grinding Machine (Horizontal spindle and
reciprocating table type, Horizontal spindle and rotary table
type, Vertical spindle and reciprocating table type, Vertical
spindle and rotary table type)
 Tool and Cutter Grinding Machines
Engr. V.C. Alfarero
 Special Grinding machines
 Grinding Machine
 Cylindrical Grinding Machine:
Cylindrical grinders - are generally
used to grind external surfaces like
cylinders, taper cylinders, faces and
shoulders of work.
There are different types of
cylindrical grinding machines and
they are:
• Outside diameter grinding
machines
• Inside diameter grinding machines
Engr. V.C. Alfarero • Centerless grinding machines
 Grinding Machine
 Cylindrical Grinding Machine:

Engr. V.C. Alfarero

 Grinding Machine
• Outside Diameter Grinding Machine:

Outside diameter (OD)

grinders - are used to grind an
object between the centers on
an external surface. These
centers are end units which
contain a point to allow rotation
of the object.
The grinding wheel is also
being rotated in the same
direction when it comes in
Engr. V.C. Alfarero contact with the object.
 Grinding Machine
• Internal Diameter Grinding Machine:
Inside diameter (OD)
grinders - are used to grind on
the inside of an object. The
grinding wheel is always smaller
than the width of the hole being
ground.
The grinding wheel and the
object rotated in opposite
directions giving reversed
direction contact of the two
surfaces where the grinding
Engr. V.C. Alfarero occurs.
 Grinding Machine
• Centerless Grinding Machine:

Centerless grinder - is a type

of cylindrical grinder which uses
two rotary wheels to secure the
work piece in place.

The speed of the rotation of the

wheels determines at what rate
the material is removed.

Engr. V.C. Alfarero

 Grinding Machine
 Internal Grinding Machine:
Internal grinder - is a special type
of grinding machine, designed for
grinding the internal diameter of the
work piece.

Although in most grinding details,

internal grinding is almost the same
as cylindrical grinding for grinding
the internal diameter, there are some
key differences between the two.
Engr. V.C. Alfarero
 Grinding Machine
 Surface Grinding Machines:
Surface grinding machine - are
employed to finish plain or flat surfaces
horizontally, vertically or at any angle.
There are four different types of surface
grinders and they are:
• Horizontal spindle and reciprocating
table type
• Horizontal spindle and rotary table type
• Vertical spindle and reciprocating table
type
• Vertical spindle and rotary table type
Engr. V.C. Alfarero
 Grinding Machine
 Surface Grinding Machines:

Engr. V.C. Alfarero

 Grinding Machine
• Horizontal Spindle Surface Grinding Machine:
The majority of surface grinders are of
horizontal spindle type.
In the horizontal type of the machine,
grinding is performed by the abrasives
on the periphery of the wheel. Though
the area of contact between the wheel
and the work is small, the speed is
uniform over the grinding surface and
the surface finish is good. The grinding
wheel is mounted on a horizontal
spindle and the table is reciprocated to
Engr. V.C. Alfarero
perform grinding operation.
 Grinding Machine
• Vertical Spindle Surface Grinding Machine:

The face or sides of the wheel are used

for grinding in the vertical type surface
grinders. The area of contact is large and
stock can be removed quickly. But a
criss-cross pattern of grinding scratches
is left on the work surface. Considering
the quality of surface finish obtained, the
horizontal spindle type machines are
widely used.
Engr. V.C. Alfarero
 Grinding Machine
 Tool and Cutter Grinding Machine:
Tool and cutter grinder makes
use of a CNC machine tool with up
to 5 axes and multiple grinding
wheels.
These devices are used for
sharpening and producing milling
cutters such as drills, endmills, and
step tools. It is also widely used for
producing the tools needed in the
woodworking and metal cutting
Engr. V.C. Alfarero industries.
 Grinding Machine
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:
• Cylindrical grinding
• Taper grinding
• Gear grinding
• Thread grinding
Engr. V.C. Alfarero
 Grinding Machine
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.
Engr. V.C. Alfarero
 Grinding Machine
Taper grinding on long
work pieces can be done by
swivelling the upper table.
If the work piece is short,
the wheel head 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 wheel head
Engr. V.C. Alfarero
are not swivelled.
 Grinding Machine
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.
Engr. V.C. Alfarero
 Grinding Machine

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.

Engr. V.C. Alfarero

 Grinding Machine
Grinding Wheel:

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
Engr. V.C. Alfarero
 Grinding Machine
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

Engr. V.C. Alfarero

 Grinding Machine
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. Both
emery and corundum have a greater hardness and abrasive
action than sandstone.
• Diamond is the hardest available natural abrasive. It is used
in making grinding wheels to grind cemented carbide tools.
Engr. V.C. Alfarero
 Grinding Machine
Artificial Abrasives:
Artificial abrasives are of two types.
• Silicon carbide abrasives - 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.
Silicon carbide is next to diamond in the order of hardness.
But it is not tough enough as aluminium oxide. 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
Engr. V.C. Alfarero trade names of carborundum. It is denoted by the letter ‘S’.
 Grinding Machine
Artificial Abrasives:
Artificial abrasives are of two types.

• Aluminium oxide abrasives - 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’.

Engr. V.C. Alfarero

 Grinding Machine
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 on
the next :

Engr. V.C. Alfarero

 Grinding Machine
Types of Bonds:

Type of Bond Symbol Grinding Wheel

1. Vitrified V Vitrified Wheel
2. Silicate S Silicate Wheel
3. Shellac E Elastic Wheel
4. Resinoid B Resinoid Wheel
5. Rubber R Vulcanised Wheel
6. Oxychloride O Oxychloride Wheel

Engr. V.C. Alfarero

 Grinding Machine
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.
Grain size is denoted by a number indicating the number of
meshes per linear inch of the screen through which the grains
pass when they are graded. 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.
Engr. V.C. Alfarero
 Grinding Machine
Types of Bonds:

Coarse 10, 12, 14, 16, 20, 24

Medium 30, 36, 46, 54, 60
Fine 80, 100, 120, 150, 180
Very Fine 220, 240, 280, 320, 400, 500, 600

Engr. V.C. Alfarero

 Grinding Machine
Grain size, Grade and Structure:
• Grade
The grade of a grinding wheel refers to the hardness with
which the wheel holds the abrasive grains in place. It does not
refer to the hardness of the abrasive grains.
The grade is indicated by a letter of the English alphabet. The
term ‘soft’ or ‘hard’ refers to the resistance a bond offers to
disruption of the abrasives.
A wheel from which the abrasive grains can easily be dislodged
is called soft whereas the one, which holds the grains more
securely, is called hard. The grade of the bond can be classified
in three categories.
Engr. V.C. Alfarero
 Grinding Machine
Types of Bonds:

Soft A B C D E F G H
Medium I J K L M N O P
Hard Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Engr. V.C. Alfarero

 Grinding Machine
Grain size, Grade and Structure:
• 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 materials.

Engr. V.C. Alfarero
 Grinding Machine
Types of Bonds:

Dense 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Open 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 or higher

Engr. V.C. Alfarero

 Grinding Machine
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
Engr. V.C. Alfarero
 Grinding Machine
The meaning of the given marking on a grinding
wheel:
w A 54 M 7 V 20

w Manufacturer’s abrasive type symbol

A Type of abrasive (Aluminium Oxide)
54 Size of abrasive (Medium)
M Grade of bond (Medium)
7 Structure of the grinding wheel (Dense)
V Type of bond (Vitrified)
20 Manufacturer’s symbol

Engr. V.C. Alfarero

 Grinding Machine
Machine Shop Safety Golden Rules:

• Safety glasses at all times! Even when just visiting.

• No long hair and no long sleeves! Pulled back & tied up.
• No wearing jewelry or watches while working!
• Closed toe shoes or boots only! No sandals or dressy
shoes.
• ULTIMATELY, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN
SAFETY!

Engr. V.C. Alfarero

 Grinding Machine
Grinder Safety Rules

• Abrasive wheel machinery shall not be operated without

the appropriate guards in place.
• Tool rests on bench or pedestal grinders shall be set no
more than 1/8 inch from the wheel.
• Never use a wheel that has been dropped or received a
heavy blow, even though there may be no apparent
damage. Such wheels may be weakened or unbalanced
enough to fly apart on start-up.
• Stand to one side when starting machine.
Engr. V.C. Alfarero
 Grinding Machine
Grinder Safety Rules

• Do not grind on side of wheel unless wheel is specifically

designed for such use.
• Do not use excessive pressure while grinding. On surface
grinder do not exceed .0005” inch down feed at any time.
• Report to the Shop Manager immediately any cracked,
broken or otherwise defective wheels.
• Have the Shop Manager mount and balance new wheels.

Engr. V.C. Alfarero

 Grinding Machine
Grinder Safety Rules
• Keep the grinding wheel dressed. Dressing a small
amount frequently is better than having to dress a lot
later and will allow the wheel to cut faster, cooler and
with a better surface finish. Dressing is cleaning and
smoothing the surface of the grinding wheel.
• Hold work securely while grinding, use the tool rest to
support the work when off-hand grinding on bench or
pedestal grinders.
• Do not grind aluminum. It will clog the wheel and
aluminum dust is explosive. Check with shop staff for
safety instructions if aluminum must be ground.
Engr. V.C. Alfarero
 Grinding Machine
Grinder Safety Rules

• Always wear safety glasses when grinding on bench or

pedestal grinders. The addition of a face shield is
recommended.
• If a magnetic chuck is being used, on the surface grinder,
make sure it is holding the work securely before starting
to grind.

Engr. V.C. Alfarero

 Thank you!!!

Engr. V.C. Alfarero