Characterization of abrasive grain’s behavior and wear mechanisms

Grinding is a finishing process largely used in motor industry, aeronautics, space industry and precision cutting tool manufacturers. The grinding process can be summarized by the action of a grinding wheel on a workpiece. The wheel is constituted by abrasive grains. Thus grinding is in fact the action of grains on the workpiece. The grain behavior changes according to numerous parameters (geometry, mechanical characteristics, wear mechanisms). In some cases abrasive wear is observed while micro-cutting is obtained in some other cases.In this paper two useful and complementary experimental approaches for the interface physics understanding is presented. The study of the cutting power is carried out using a high-speed scratch test device in order to understand the grain behavior and the wear mechanisms for several wheel surface speeds. In this paper an approach for the specific abrasion energy computation is also presented.