Effect of ultrasonic elliptic vibration on friction between shoe and workpiece in ultrasonic elliptic-vibration shoe centerless grinding

This paper describes an experimental investigation of the effect of ultrasonic elliptic vibration of the shoe on the friction between the shoe and the workpiece in ultrasonic elliptic-vibration shoe centerless grinding, a new centerless grinding technique proposed previously by the present authors. In the new technique, an ultrasonic elliptic-vibration shoe is employed to control the workpiece rotational speed as a regulating wheel does in conventional centerless grinding. The grinding accuracy is affected significantly by the workpiece rotation stability, which is dependent on the frictional force between the workpiece and the ultrasonic elliptic-vibration shoe. The issue relating to the friction between the workpiece and the shoe is therefore very important in the complete establishment of the new centerless grinding technique. In the present work, in order to clarify the effect of ultrasonic elliptic vibration of the shoe on the frictional coefficient and to determine the appropriate ultrasonic elliptic vibration conditions, a measurement apparatus was built up in-house and used to measure the frictional coefficient under the presence and absence of the ultrasonic elliptic vibration. The measurement results indicated that the frictional coefficient decreases with increase in the size of the ultrasonic elliptic motion, and a shape of the elliptic motion, in which the frictional coefficient reaches maximum, exists.