Modeling of a virtual grinding wheel based on random distribution of multi-grains and simulation of machine-process interaction

The interaction of the machine-process in grinding frequently brings unpredictable results to the quality of the products and processing stability. This paper presents a multi-grains grinding model to simulate the precision grinding process of cemented carbide inserts. The interaction between the grinding process and machine tool is then investigated based on the proposed grinding model. First, the real topography of the grinding wheel is simulated. Based on the assumption of spacing distribution of multi-grains and the virtual grid method, the hexahedron abrasive grains are randomly distributed on the surface of the virtual grinding wheel and the postures of abrasive grains are randomly allocated. Second, the grinding model is built by importing the virtual grinding wheel model into Deform-3D software, and the grinding force values are obtained by simulation. The validity of the proposed grinding model is verified by experiments. Then, the interaction coupling simulation of the machine tool structure and grinding process is built to investigate the interaction mechanism. The simulations reveal that remarkable interactive effects exist between the deformation of the grinding wheel of the machine tool and grinding force. The finite element method (FEM) coupling simulation method proposed in this paper can be used to predict the machine-process interaction.