Optimisation of fluid application in grinding

This paper addresses the quantity of fluid required for grinding and the method of application. Results from this research suggest that supply flowrate needs to be 4 times the achievable ‘useful’ flowrate. Extra flowrate is wasted. It is shown that jet velocity and jet flowrate can be separately specified. Improved system design allows ‘actual’ useful flowrate to approach ‘achievable’ useful flowrate. Achievable useful flowrate depends on wheel porosity and wheel speed whereas actual useful flowrate depends on nozzle position, design, flowrate and velocity. Experimental methods are complemented by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations.