Theoretical generalization and research on the mechanism of the unsteady-state grinding technique

In this paper, the concept of the unsteady-state grinding technique is proposed and compared with the conventional grinding technique. Experimental work was performed to establish the existence of the unsteady state in the process of ultra-precision grinding with a common abrasive wheel. From the results of the observation of the wheel topography, the whole grinding process in the unsteady state was separated into three stages, namely cutting by grains peaks, micro-cutting by micro-edges of the broken grains, and rubbing without material removal. By utilizing the common abrasive wheel newly redressed to damage the finished surface of silicon nitride and comparing the finished surface with the damaged surface in aspects of their scanning electronic microscope (SEM) pattern and surface roughness, the existence of cutting and micro-cutting actions in the unsteady-state grinding process was confirmed.