Experimental study on grinding the micro wall of flexible joints with controllable force

Flexible joint which is widely used in gyro is made of a kind of high elastic alloy 3J33A. The thickness of the micro wall on the flexible joints is only about 30 μm. For its unique material and structure, appropriate grinding force must be controlled to make balance between machining efficiency and surface quality. In addition, alignment for micro grinding the micro wall should be carried out. This paper presents an experimental study of micro grinding based on force feedback. The setup and processing method is elaborated. Development of the machine tool applied in micro grinding is presented with expounding its components. The removal amount of micro grinding is significant since processing efficiency and dimensional accuracy are demanded. The manuscript firstly illustrates the method of measuring the removal amount, including its alignment and adjustment. Some key processing details applied in the micro grinding are expounded as well. The force controlling modes are illustrated, as well as the selection of the grinding force. Then, the influence of grinding parameters, especially the grinding force and direction, on the removal amount is revealed with a series of experiments. Aiming at different processing requirement, appropriate grinding parameters are recommended with analysis of the experimental results. Finally, further study with grinding force feedback is discussed. With the real-time force feedback, grinding force can be monitored and adjusted in grinding process, including the measurement and adjustment of the micro wall. This study helps to make the guidance of choosing micro grinding parameters.