Analysis of the grain depth-of-cut in plunge grinding

The grain depth-of-cut in plunge grinding was analyzed using computer simulation and an analytic model. Two regimes were identified for the depth-of-cut as a function of the infeed. At lower infeeds, there is a unique correlation between grinding grooves and cutting grains, and the depth-of-cut is equal to the infeed. At higher infeeds, the correlation is destroyed, and the depth-of-cut can be much less than the infeed. An analytic model that takes into account only the mean surface position while ignoring the surface profile can describe the latter regime. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.