Tools are graded by the manufacturer according to the coarseness or fineness of the particles of the abrasive material they contain, but the working qualities of the tools depend not only on the size of the particles, but also upon the quality of the binder. It thus results that tools which have the same commercial grade number, vary greatly, in cutting or abrasive qualities. Harey La Vercombe, Patent on Grinding-wheel-test — device, 1923 [LAVE23].
After having introduced the basic components and types of abrasive tools, the following chapters will focus on grinding wheel design. This chapter focuses on wheel macro-design, which includes body shapes and material. Depending on shape and application, clamping and balancing need special attention and will be described here. Furthermore, grinding wheels have to be tested for hardness, elasticity and tool breakage. The chapter closes with discussions on sustainability dimensions for all these macro-design subjects.
Grinding wheels with superabrasives or tools for high-speed operations consist of an abrasive layer fixed on a body. The body is also called core, base, carrier or hub material. The body has to withstand several static and dynamic stresses such as centrifugal forces, acceleration forces, cooling lubricant friction forces, air friction forces and grinding process forces. Furthermore, the body needs to provide sufficient heat conductivity, high mechanical strength, and good vibration dampening.
Common body materials are aluminum, steel, bronze, synthetic resin with metallic or non-metallic fillers, fiber-reinforced synthetic resin, or ceramics [KLOC09]. The design of carriers has to regard expansion at rotation speed, damping behavior, thermal expansion, etc.
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 B. Linke, Life Cycle and Sustainability of Abrasive Tools, RWTHedition, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-28346-3_5