Abrasive Machining

and Finishing
Operations
ABRASIVE
It is a small hard particle having sharp edges
and an irregular shape e.g. sand

sand paper and grinding wheels are used to

sharpen knives, tools and give good
dimensional accuracy and surface finish to
products
FIGURE 26.1 Typical abrasive grains; note the angular shape with sharp edges. (a) A single, 80-mesh
Al2O3 grit in a freshly dressed grinding wheel; (b) An 80/100 mesh diamond grit; diamond and cubic boron
nitride grains can be manufactured in various geometries, including the “blocky” shape shown.
Source: Courtesy of J. Badger.
FIGURE 26.2 A variety of bonded abrasives used in abrasive-machining processes.
Source: Courtesy of Norton Company.
FIGURE 26.3 The types of workpieces and operations typical of grinding: (a) cylindrical surfaces; (b)
conical surfaces; (c) fillets on a shaft; (d) helical profiles; (e) concave shape; (f) cutting off or slotting with
thin wheels; and (g) internal grinding.
Abrasives are harder than cutting tool materials

TYPES OF ABRASIVES

1.conventional abrasives: Aluminum oxide (for

carbon steel and ferrous alloys)and Silicon carbide
(non ferrous metals, glass and marble)

2.super abrasives: diamond (ceramics and

hardeneded steel) and cubic boron nitride (steels
and cast iron)

friability: ability of abrasive grains to fracture into

smaller pieces. This gives abrasives their self
sharpening characteristics essential in maintaining
their sharpness during use
GRINDING WHEELS

The abrasives grains are held together by a bonding

material in order to achieve high material removal rates

Marking of bonded abrasives

51 A 36 L 5 V 23
A: abrasive type AL 36 : grain size
L grade from A (soft) till Z (hard)
5: dense from 1-….
V: bond type (R:rubber, S:silicate, V:vitrified
51 and 23: manufacturer
FIGURE 26.4 Schematic illustration of a physical model of a grinding wheel, showing its structure and its
wear and fracture patterns.
FIGURE 26.5 Common types of grinding wheels made with conventional abrasives; note that each wheel
has a specific grinding face; grinding on other surfaces is improper and unsafe.
FIGURE 26.6 Examples of superabrasive wheel configurations; the annular regions (rims) are
superabrasive grinding surfaces, and the wheel itself (core) generally is made of metal or composites. The
bonding materials for the superabrasives are (a), (d), and (e) resinoid, metal, or vitrified; (b) metal; (c)
vitrified; and (f) resinoid.
THE GRINDING PROCESS

Difference between action of an abrasive grain

and that of a single-point cutting tool
1. Grains have irregular shapes
2. The radial position of a grain on the surface of
the wheel varies, so not all grains are active
during grinding
3. Surface speed of grinding wheels are higher
FIGURE 26.11 Schematic illustration of the surface-grinding process, showing various process variables;
the figure depicts conventional (up) grinding.
FIGURE 26.13 Chip formation and plowing of the workpiece surface by an abrasive grain.
GRINDING OPERATIONS AND MACHINES
Selection of a grinding process depends upon:
1. Shape of work piece
2. Its size
3. Ease of fixturing
4. Production rate required
TABLE 26.4 General Characteristics
of Abrasive Machining Processes and
Machines
SURFACE GRINDING

work piece is flat

grinding wheel is mounted on a horizontal

spindle
work piece is mounted on work table
the table reciprocates longitudinally and is
fed laterallyin the direction of the spindle
axis
FIGURE 26.15 Schematic illustrations of various surface-grinding operations. (a) Traverse grinding with a
horizontal-spindle surface grinder. (b) Plunge grinding with a horizontal-spindle surface grinder, producing a
groove in the workpiece. (c) A vertical-spindle rotary-table grinder (also known as the Blanchard type).
FIGURE 26.16 Schematic illustration of a horizontal-spindle surface grinder.
CYLINDRICAL GRINDING

the work piece rotates and reciprocates along its

axis
in roll grinders, the grinding wheel reciprocates
FIGURE 26.18 Examples of various cylindrical-grinding operations: (a) traverse grinding; (b) plunge
grinding; and (c) profile grinding. Source: Courtesy of Okuma Corporation. Printed with permission.
FIGURE 26.19 Plunge grinding of a workpiece on a cylindrical grinder with the wheel dressed to a stepped
shape.
FIGURE 26.20 Schematic illustration of grinding a noncylindrical part on a cylindrical grinder with
computer controls to produce the shape. The part rotation and the distance x between centers are varied
and synchronized to grind the particular workpiece shape.
FIGURE 26.21 Thread grinding by (a) traverse and (b) plunge grinding.
INTERNAL GRINDING

a small wheel is used in grinding the inside

diameter of a part

the work piece is held in a rotating chuck

the wheel rotates at a high speed(higher than 30000

r.p.m
FIGURE 26.23 Schematic illustrations of internal grinding operations: (a) traverse grinding; (b) plunge
grinding; and (c) profile grinding.
FINISHING OPERATIONS
FIGURE 26.27 Schematic illustration of the structure of a coated abrasive; sandpaper (developed in the
16th century) and emery cloth are common examples of coated abrasives.
BELT GRINDING
FIGURE 26.28 Turbine nozzle vane considered in Example 26.5.
WIRE BRUSHING

work piece is held against a circular wire

brush that rotates
the tips of the wire produce longitudinal
scatches on the surface of the work piece
HONING

Used to improve the surface finish of holes

The honing tool consists of aluminum oxide or silicon

carbide bonded abrasive sticks called stones

The stones can be adjusted radially to suit different hole

sizes

The tool has a reciprocating motion

FIGURE 26.29 Schematic illustration of a honing tool used to improve the surface finish of bored or
ground holes.
LAPPING
Used for finishing cylindrical, flat or curved
surfaces
The lap is relatively soft and porous, made of cast
iron, leather or cloth
Lapping is done under pressures depending upon
the type and hardness of the work piece
FIGURE 26.31 (a) Schematic illustration of the lapping process. (b) Production lapping on flat surfaces.
(c) Production lapping on cylindrical surfaces.
POLISHING

Produces a smooth , lustrous surface finish

Softening and smearing of surface layers occur by

frictional heating developed during polishing, and by
very fine scale abrasive removal from work piece
surface

Polishing is done with discs or belts made of fabric or

leather, coated with fine powders of aluminum oxide or
diamond
DEBURRING OPERATIONS
Burrs are thin edges that develop along edges of a work piece
due to machining operations or shearing metal sheets

Burrs can be detected with a finger, toothpick or cotton swab

DISADVANTAGES OF BURRS

1. Interfere with the mechanical assembly of parts

2. Unsafe to personnel handling the parts

3. May reduce fatigue life of parts

4. May cause low bendability if the burr is on the tensile size

FIGURE 26.37 Increase in the cost of machining and finishing a part as a function of the surface finish
required; this is the main reason that the surface finish specified on parts should not be any finer than is
necessary for the part to function properly.