Grooving and Grinding Performance of Structured Wheels Fabricated with Diamond Cutting Blades

Grooved grinding wheels can reduce grinding heat and thermal damage. A novel mechanical grooving method using diamond cutting blades was proposed to fabricate structured grinding wheels with a U-shaped groove profile in an automatic and efficient way. The diamond cutting blade, cutting chips and grooved structures were detected with SEM and EDS. The abrasive grains were broken into smaller strip fragments by polygonal block diamonds during the cutting process. No obvious cracks were found on the side and bottom of the groove, and the width of the groove was close to the thickness of the cutting blade. Grinding tests with grooved grinding wheels were performed and compared to those with non-grooved wheels. The grooved wheels could reduce grinding forces and grinding temperature and eliminate workpiece burns.