An Evaluation of Grinding Performance for Single and Polycrystal Grit Aluminum-Oxide Grinding Wheels

Dry surface grinding tests have shown a large difference in the number of passes to workpiece burn between structurally identical single and polycrystal Al₂O₃ vitrified grinding wheels. Special composite grinding wheels were designed and built to observe sequentially wear flat development in the scanning electron microscope. No difference in wear mechanisms was found for the two types of wheels. The difference in grinding performance is explained in terms of the number active cutting points per unit area and the dislodgment of dressing damage.