Unit IV GRINDING MACHINE

Grinding is a process of removing material by the abrasive action of a revolving

wheel on the surface of a work piece, in order to bring it to the required shape and size.
Grinding is similar to other machining operations since the material is removed in the form of
very small chips, similar to those obtained in other machining operations. The wheel used for
performing the grinding operation is known as “Grinding Wheel”. It consists of sharp
crystals, called abrasives, held together by a binding material or bond .It may be a single
piece type or several segments joined together. In most of the cases, it is a finishing operation
and a very small amount of material is removed from the surface during the operation

ABRASIVES: It is the material of the grinding wheel, which does cutting action. These are
extremely hard materials, consisting of very small particles, called grains, which carry a
number of sharp cutting edges and corners. They are two types. 1). Natural 2).
Artificial

Natural Abrasives: They are obtained directly from mines. The common natural abrasives
are sand stone, emery, corundum, Quartz and diamond.
All the natural abrasives, except diamond are now obsolete. Sand stone is used only for
sharpening wood working tools. All other natural abrasives are almost replaced by artificial
abrasives. Diamond, still retains its place even in modern grinding processes. It is largely
used for dressing grinding wheels and for grinding hard materials.

Artificial Abrasives: They are manufactured under controlled conditions in closed electric
furnaces to avoid impurities and to achieve necessary temperature for the chemical reaction
to take place. The main artificial abrasives are:

1. Silicon Carbide (Sic): It is made from Silicon dioxide, coke, sawdust and salt. These
constituents are mixed together and piled up around carbon electrical conductor of a
resistance type electric furnace. A heavy current is switched on and temperature of about
26000C generated. The mass, under the action of intense heat, fuses. The outer shell is
removed and the Silicon Carbide Crystals are broken in to grains.

2. Aluminum Oxide: This abrasive is very hard and tough grains having sharp cutting edges.
It is obtained by fusing impure Aluminum Oxide (Bauxite) in an electric arc furnace. Dry
bauxite is mixed with ground coke and Iron chips. This mixture is heated in the furnace with
a heavy current. It is then crushed and the powdered grains are formed are screened through
standard meshes. These grains are not as hard as Silicon Carbide but less brittle preferred for
grinding metals of high tensile strength like hardened tool steel components.

3. Artificial Diamonds: The diamonds produced through artificial means are quite
comparable to the natural diamonds in their grinding characteristics and give normally better
results than the natural diamonds.

Advantages and uses of artificial abrasives

The manufactured or artificial abrasives superseded the natural abrasives for the
following reasons:
1. The controlled conditions in the electric furnace enable uniformity in the product.
2. The quantity of production and supply can easily be varied according to the demands.
3. They have largely abolished the dependence on natural means to meet the growing
 demand in the modern manufacturing processes.
The selection of a particular abrasive is governed by many factors, like hardness, toughness
and other properties of work material.
BOND MATERIALS:
In order to give an effective and continuous cutting action, it is necessary that the
grains of abrasive material should be held firmly together to form a series of cutting edges.
The material used for holding them is known as bond. The principal bonds are:
1. Vitrified
2. Silicate
3. Oxychloride
4. Resinoid
5. Shellac
6. Rubber
1. Vitrified bond: It is a clay bond, reddish brown color. The base material is “Felspar”
which is fusible clay. Proper proportions of Felspar, refractories and flux mixed thoroughly
with abrasive grains to form a paste. The paste is placed is moulds to get the shape of a
wheeland air dried. The wheels become enough hard are fed in to kiln at 1260 0C and allowed to
remain there for few days. This process is known as fusing and it provides uniform distribution of
bond through and the wheel. After this, the wheels are trimmed to the required size. For obtaining
very hard and close grained wheels, the paste after being place in the moulds, is pressed under
hydraulic pressure.
Advantages:
1. It is made porous and enables quicker metal removes.
2. It is not affected by water, oil, acids, temperature or climatic conditions.
3. The bond itself is very hard and acts as an abrasive.
4. On account of excessive heat in the kiln the impurities are burnt and only bond and
abrasive left.
5. The structure of the wheel is uniform due to wet mixing of different constituents.
Disadvantages:
1. The process of manufacture is very slow.
2. Cracks may develop in large size wheels during fusing.
3. Wheels over 750mm dia can’t be easily produced.
4. Proper control during fusing becomes difficult.
5. High temperature in kiln tends to make the abrasive grains weak.
2. Silicate bond: It s base material is Silicate of soda. The process of mixing, moulding,
packing or ramming, drying etc are done in the same way as vitrified bond, but the oven
carries a temperature of about 2600C only. The application of lower temperature results in
high tensile strength. As usual, the paste mixture after moulding is subjected to hydraulic
pressure if hard and close grained wheels are needed. They are light grey in color. These
wheels are used where a cool cutting action with less wear is needed as in grinding the edges
of the heat treated steel cutting tools. The cool cutting action is due to the bond releases the
abrasive grains more quickly than vitrified bond.
Advantages:
1. It is more rapid process than vitrified bond.
2. Because of the moderate temperature in kiln, there is no tendency to weaken the
grains.
3. Fusing is better controlled, results in more reliable bond.
4. When wet grinding is performed, the soda acts as a lubricant.
5. Large wheels up to 1500mm dia can be easily produced.
6. The cutting action of the wheel is smoother and cooler.
 7. Because of low fusing temperature the wheel can be moulded on Iron backs, which is
not possible in case of vitrified bond.
Disadvantages:
1. Extra hard wheels cannot be produced with this bond.
2. Harder grades of this bond do not provide a free cutting action.

3. Oxychloride bond: It is a mixture of Oxide and Chloride of Magnesium and setting takes
place in cold state. The process of wheel manufacture is similar to the above two, but no
heating and subsequent cooling is required on account of the cold setting property. Ageing is
necessary so that the bonded wheel gets adequate hardness. This bond provided a cool cutting
action, but grinding is usually done dry as it is very susceptible to the action of conventional
coolants and therefore, the full use of the cutting capability of the wheel cannot be taken.
4. Resinoid bond: It is a synthetic organic compound, which is enough strong and flexible. It
provides a sharp cutting action and enables a high rate of stock removal at high speeds.
Mainly used for cutting bar stocks, fine grinding of cams, precision grinding of rolls etc.
These wheels are manufactured from a mixture of abrasive grains, synthetic resins
and some compounds. This mixture is filled in moulds and then fed in to the furnace for
heating. A constant temperature of about 2000 c is maintained in the furnace. Due to heat, the
resin sets and binds the abrasive grains together. The shape and size of the bonded wheels
will depend upon the shape and size of the mould.
5. Shellac bond: These wheels are produced by mixing the bond and the abrasive grain in a
steam heated mixer, followed by moulding under pressure in steam heated moulds. These
wheels are cool cutting and are vastly used on hardened tool steel and thin sections. They also
help in producing high surface finish, as is normally required on components like cam shafts.
They can run safely in water but use of oil or caustic soda should be avoided.
6. Rubber bond: It is composed of fairly hard vulcanized rubber. The common
manufacturing process consists of passing of rubber and sulphur through the mixing rolls and
adding the abrasive grains slowly as the above two constituents pass through the rolls.
Adding of abrasive grains continues till the required proportion is achieved. The mixture is
then passed through another set of rolls to obtain the required thickness. The wheels are then
cut and placed in preheated moulds and vulcanized under pressure. These wheels are quite
strong, close grained and can be made in very thin sections. They are mainly used where a
very high class surface finish with close dimensional accuracy is required. During the
operation water can be safely used as a coolant, but caustic soda and oil should not be used as
caustic soda will disintegrates the bond and the oil will softens it.

Symbols used for representing the type of bond.

Vitrified V
Silicate S
Oxychloride O
Resinoid B
Shellac E
Rubber R

SELECTION OF GRINDING WHEELS

Selection of proper grinding wheel is a vital necessity to obtain the best results in
grinding work. A wheel may be required to perform various different functions like quick
removal of stock material, give a high grade surface finish, maintain close dimensional
tolerances and a single wheel will fail to meet all the requirements. It is necessary therefore,
that proper grain size, bond, grade, strength, shape and size of the wheel should be selected to
meet the specific requirements of a job. The factors up on which the above selection will
depend are as follows:
1. Properties of the material to be machined i.e. its hardness, toughness, strength etc.
2. Quality of surface finish required.
3. Grinding allowance provided on the work piece i.e. the amount of the stock material
to be removed.
4. Dimensional accuracy required.
5. Method of grinding i.e. wet or dry.
6. Rigidity, size and type of machine.
7. Relative sizes of wheel and job.
8. Type of grinding to be done.
9. Speed and feed of the wheel.
TYPES OF GRINDING MACHINES
Different types of grinding machines have been designed and are being used. Some of
these are for roughing work, some for precision work and some for special purpose i.e. to
perform a specific type of operation only. There are many varieties of grinding machines; the
most commonly used types can be classified as:
1. Roughing or non precision grinders.
2. Precision grinders.
1. Roughing or non Precision grinders: The main purpose of these grinders is to remove
more stock than can be removed by other types of grinders. The quality of surface finish is of
secondary importance are as follows:
1. Bench, pedestal or floor grinders.
2. Swing frame grinders.
3. Portable and flexible shaft grinders.
4. Belt grinders.
1. Bench, pedestal or floor grinders:
These grinders are commonly used for
grinding various materials and cutting tools
in tool rooms, foundries and general repair
shops etc. They carry horizontal spindle,
having grinding wheels mounted on both
ends. It can be suitably bolted on a bench.
The floor stand or pedestal grinder is bench grinder of above type mounted on a steel stand or
pedestal of suitable height. The horizontal spindle carrying the grinding wheels is normally
an extension on both sides of the armature shaft of the motor. These grinders can also be used
for polishing by replacing the grinding wheels by polishing wheels.
2. Swing frame grinders: It consists of a 2 to 4 meters long horizontal frame, freely
suspended at its centre. The frame carries a grinding wheel at its one end and motor at the
other. The motor drives the grinding wheel by means of a belt. In operation, the motor is
started to revolve the wheel and the frame swung by the operator about its point of
suspension (centre point) to cover up the desired grinding area.
3. Portable and flexible shaft grinders: These grinders resemble very much with the
portable electric drills, both in construction, as well as operation, with only difference that the
spindle carrying the drill chuck is replaced by a spindle on which a small grinding wheel is
mounted. A safety guard is also provided over the wheel. These grinders are vastly used in
finishing casting, forgings, welded joints in structural work, removing burrs and sharp edges.
 Flexible shaft grinders consist of a flexible shaft driven by an electric motor. The
shaft carries a chuck or collet at its end to receive small grinding tools, mounted wheels and
points and small grinding discs. The electric motor is mounted on a fixed stand.
4. Belt grinders: These machines are designed to use an endless abrasive belt for grinding
instead of a regular type of grinding wheel. The belt runs round the pulleys or rollers and the
work is fed against the revolving the abrasive coated belt. One of the rollers (driver) revolves
at high speed. A heavy metal plate called platen is so incorporated that the smooth under side
of the belt runs in contact with the same. This platen may carry the shape conforming to the
shape of an object or may be flat as required. The work piece is fed manually on to the open
abrasive side of the belt and pressed against the platen to perform the grinding operation.
With proper selection of proper grade and grit size, this process can be used both for rough
and finish grinding. Machines are available in different varieties like wet-belt, dry-belt,
combination machines etc.
CYLINDRICAL GRINDERS
The principle of cylindrical grinding
involves holding the work piece rigidly on
centers in a chuck or in a suitable holding
fixture, rotating it about its axis and feeding a
fast revolving grinding wheel against the work.
If the work surface to be ground is longer than
the face width of the grinding wheel, the work is
traversed past the wheel or the wheel past the
work. Traversing of wheel or work is done either by hydraulic or mechanical power or by
hand. Feed is given to the work or the wheel at the end of each traversing movement. In case
the width of wheel face is more or equal to the length of the work surface to be ground, the
wheel may be fed in with no traversing movement of it or that of the work. This is known as
“Plunge Grinding”. The simplest and commonly used type of cylindrical grinder is a tool
post grinder used on lathes. When wheels of large diameters are used, they can be mounted
directly on the motor shaft. For mounting small wheels an auxiliary shaft is provided, which
runs at a relatively much higher speed than the motor. Both external and internal cylindrical
grinding can be done on lathe by this equipment.
Cylindrical grinding machines are mainly of the following three types:
1. Plain Cylindrical Grinders.
2. Universal Cylindrical Grinders.
3. Centre less Grinders.

1. PLAIN CYLINDRICAL GRINDERS: On these grinders, the work piece is usually held
between two centers. One of these centers is in the head stock and the other in the tail stock.
In operation, the rotating work is traversed across the face of the rotating grinding wheel. At
the end of each traverse, the wheel is fed in to the work by an amount equal to the depth of
cut. While mounting the work between centers, the head stock centre is not disturbed. It is the
tail stock centre which is moved in or out, manually or hydraulically, to insert and hold the
work. Tail stock and head stock both can be moved along the table to suit the work. The table
is usually made in two parts. The upper table carries the tail stock, head stock and the work
piece and can be swiveled in horizontal plane, to a maximum of 10 0 on either side along the
circular ways provided on the lower table. This enables the grinding of tapered surfaces. The
lower table is mounted over horizontal guide ways to provide longitudinal traverse to the
upper table, and hence the work. The table movements can be both by hand as well as power.
Hydraulic table drives are usually preferred.
 The wheel head is usually mounted on horizontal cross ways on the bed and travels
along these to feed the wheel to the work. This movement is known as in feed. The wheel and
work are so adjusted that the grinding force is directed downwards to ensure proper stability.

UNIVERSAL CYLINDRICAL GRINDERS: A universal cylindrical grinder carries all the

parts and movements of a plain cylindrical and in addition, carries the following
advantageous features:
1. The head stock can be made to carry alive or dead spindle, as desired, the former (live
centre) being needed, when the work is held in a chuck.
2. The head stock can itself be swiveled in a horizontal plane.
3. Its wheel head can be raised or lowered and can also be swiveled to ±90 0 to grind
tapered surface having large taper angles.
All these factors contribute towards the greater versatility of these grinders. All the modern
universal type cylindrical grinders carry hydraulic drive for wheel head approach and feed,
table traverse and elimination of back lash in the feed screw nut. Most of the modern
universal grinders are provided with necessary extra equipment like work rest to support
slender work, wheel truing device, arbor for balancing the wheel, internal grinding spindle
and three jaw self centering chuck etc.

3. CENTRELESS GRINDERS: These grinders are also a type of cylindrical grinders only,
but the principle of centre less grinding differs from centre type grinding in that the work,
instead of being mounted between centers, is supported by a combination of a grinding
wheel, a regulating wheel and a work rest blade. The relative movements of the work piece
and two wheels, the principle of centre less grinding is used for both the external as well as
internal grinding. Many hallow cylindrical and tapered work pieces, like bushes, pistons,
valves tubes and balls etc, which either do not or cannot have centers, are best ground on
centre less grinders.
It carries a heavy base and two wheel heads, one carrying the grinding wheel (larger
one) and the other regulating wheel (smaller one). The work piece rests on the blade of the
work rest between these two wheels. Each head carries a separate wheel truing mechanism
for the wheel it carries. Housing is provided on one side of the machine body to house the
main driving motor. There are two control panels on the front. The left hand panel carries
controls for speed adjustments of the two truing mechanisms and the in feed grinding
mechanism. The right hand panel carries controls for hydraulic mechanism speed adjustment
of regulating wheel, automatic working cycle switch, start and stop switches etc.
In operation, grinding operation is performed by the grinding wheel only while the
function of the regulating wheel is to provide the required support to the work piece while it
is pushed away by the cutting pressure of the grinding wheel. At the same time, required
support from bottom is provided by the work rest as the work piece, while rotating rests on
the blade of the work rest. The regulating wheel essentially carries rubber bond and helps in
the rotation of the work piece due to friction. The directions of rotation of the two wheels are
the same. The common methods used feeding the work is:
1. Through feed 2. In feed 3. End feed
1. Through feed Grinding: In this method of
centre less grinding, the work piece is supported
and revolved as described above but is
simultaneously given an axial movement also by
the regulating wheel and guides so as to pass between the wheels. For this, the axis of the
regulating wheel is inclined at 2 to 10 with the vertical. The amount of the stock to be
removed determines as to how many times a work piece has to pass between the wheels. This
method is used for straight cylindrical objects.
The actual feed (f) can be determined by the following relationship:

Where f = feed in mm/min

d = dia. of regulating wheel in mm
n = Revolutions/min
α = Angle of inclination of regulating wheel
2. In feed Grinding: Both regulating wheel and grinding wheel are
more in width than the work length to be ground. Axis of the regulating
wheel is inclined about half a degree from the horizontal. This method
is used for grinding shouldered or formed components.
Before the operation, the regulating wheel is drawn away to
accommodate the work piece. After placing the work piece on the blade
of the work rest, the regulating wheel is again pushed in to press
against the work. In this operation, the work rest does not carry guides.
Instead, it is made to have an end stop at the rear end.

4. End feed Grinding: This method, in a way, a sort of form

grinding. It is because both the wheels i.e. the grinding wheel and
regulating wheel, and dressed to contain the required shape or
form. The work is fed longitudinally from the side of the wheels.
As it advances between the revolving wheels, its surface is ground
till its farther end touches the end stop. This method can be used
for grinding of both spherical and tapered surfaces, but it suits best
to the grinding of short tapered surfaces.
Advantages of centre less Grinding:

1. Need for centering and use of fixtures etc is totally avoided.

2. It can be applied equally to both external and internal grinding.
3. Once a set up has been made, it is a faster method than centre type grinding
4. In feed method also no chucking of work is needed and idle time is negligible.
5. Since there is no end thrust, there is no any spring action or distortions in long work
pieces.
6. The work is rigidity supported during the operation, heavy cuts can be taken, rapid &
economical.
7. Making and making of centre holes totally eliminated and smaller grinding allowance,
less time.
8. Large grinding wheels are used and errors due to wheel wear are reduced.
9. Very little maintenance is needed for the machine.
10. Very high skilled operators are not needed.
11. Direct adjustment for sizes can be made, resulting in high accuracy.
12. A fairly wide range of components can be ground.

SURFACE GRINDERS:
Surface grinders do almost the same operation as the planers, shapers or milling
machines, but with more precision. Primarily they are intended to machine flat surfaces,
although irregular, curved or tapered surfaces can also be ground on them. The common
classification of surface grinders can be made as follows:
1. According to the table movement:
a) Reciprocating Table Type. b) Rotary Table Type
2. According to the direction of wheel spindles:
a) Vertical Spindle Type. b) Horizontal Spindle Type.
3. Special type and single purpose machines.
a) Face Grinders. b) Way Grinders. c) Wet Belt
Grinders.

Reciprocating table type Surface Grinders:

A reciprocating table type surface grinder may have a horizontal spindle of the grinding
wheel, or a vertical spindle of the same. The horizontal spindle carries a straight wheel and
the vertical spindle a cup type wheel. Hydraulic drives are commonly used in all such
grinders. Cutting is done on the periphery of the straight wheel, in case of horizontal type and
on the revolving edge of the cup wheel on vertical spindle machines. The horizontal spindles
are widely used in tool rooms. The work piece is held on a magnetic chuck on these
machines. They are vastly used for grinding flat surfaces. The machine size is designated by
the dimensions of the working area of the table.

100
The longitudinal feed to the work is given by reciprocating the table. Forgiving cross feed,
there are two methods. One is to mount the table on a saddle and give the cross feed by
moving the saddle. Alternatively, the cross feed can be given by moving the wheel head in
and out. In feed is provided by lowering the wheel head along the column.
In case of vertical spindle reciprocating table grinders the table along with work piece,
reciprocates under the wheel. The wheel covers all or a major portion of the width of the job.
Cross feed to the work can be given by moving the saddle. A manual or power feed can be
used to feed the wheel head vertically. An individual motor drive is provided to rotate the
wheel.
Rotary table Surface Grinders:

Rotary table surface grinders are also made in two types. i.e.
either having horizontal wheel spindle or a vertical wheel spindle.
A circular shaped magnetic chuck is mounted on the circular table
to hold the jobs. The work pieces are normally arranged in a
circle, concentric with the round chuck. If it is a single piece, it

can be mounted centrally on the chuck. The table is made to rotate under the revolving wheel,
both rotating in opposite directions.
The vertical feed to the wheel is given by moving the wheel head along a column and the
cross feed by the horizontal movement of the wheel spindle. A straight wheel is used on these
machines, which cuts on its periphery. Some machines carry the provision to raise or lower
the table also and also to incline the same.
A cup wheel has to be used on these machines. Vertical feed to the wheel is given by
moving the wheel head. The work pieces are mounted on the round chuck in same way as in
the horizontal spindle type. The table rotates in a direction opposite to that of the wheel and
brings the work pieces one after the other under the rotating wheel. The table is mounted on a
slide, so as to give cross feed. Some rotary table surface grinders are provided with two tables
instead of one, so that, while the work pieces are being ground on one table, the other table
can be used for loading the fresh batch of work pieces.
OTHER TYPES OF SURFACE GRINDERS

1. Face Grinder: It is similar in operation to a horizontal spindle reciprocating table surface

grinder, but differs in that a vertical flat surface is ground instead of a horizontal one. The
cutting is done on the face of the wheel and not on the periphery. Cup ring or segmental type
wheels are used, which are mounted on a horizontal spindle and fed on to the vertical surface
of the work piece, mounted on the reciprocating table. This type of the machine is used for
large and heavy work pieces.
2. Way Grinder: It is a single purpose machine used for grinding the bed ways of different
machines. It is a very large and heavy duty machine carrying a vertical spindle. Cup, ring or
segmental type wheels are used on this machine. The wheel spindle can be tilted to a desired
angle to grind inclined the work past the rotating wheel.
3. Wet Belt Grinders: These machines carry a vertical platen, which supports an endless
abrasive belt revolving in a vertical direction. The table moves to feed the work against the
belt and the table oscillates across the belt to effect desired grinding. The abrasive used on the
belt carries the resinoid bond. This type of machine is specially used in grinding low fusion
point materials as a large amount of heat generated is absorbed by the coolant, which is used
in ample quantity.
TOOL AND CUTTER GRINDING MACHINES

These machines are primarily intended for tool room work for grinding cylindrical and
tapered multi tooth cutting tools, like milling cutters, hobs, drills, reamers, taps, broaches,
gear shaper cutters etc.
They are also capable of doing light cylindrical, surface and internal grinding operations.
They are made in various different designs. The most versatile and widely used form is a
universal tool and cutter grinder.
It carries a work head and tail stock on an upper table, which is mounted on a lower table
on which the upper table can be swiveled to grind the tapered tools. The saddle travels in
cross direction. The saddle and table travels are controlled by hand. The wheel head is rigidly
mounted on an elevating column and consists of a housing carrying a wheel spindle, which
runs in two bearings. Both ends of the spindle are tapered to receive the clamping sleeves,
carrying the grinding wheels. The wheel heads can be swiveled about a vertical axis together
with the column and its driving motor. These grinders largely owe their high versatility to the
large number of attachments they carry. A few main of these are:
1. Universal work head.
2. Wheel dressing device.
3. External cylindrical grinding attachment.
4. Swiveling vice.
5. Internal grinding attachment.
6. Core drill grinding attachment.
7. Tap grinding attachment.
8. Face milling cutter grinding attachment.
9. Long reamer grinding attachment.
10. Form cutters grinding attachment.
11. Universal tooth rest.
12. . Gear shaper cutters grinding attachment.
13. Hob grinding attachment.
14. Twist drill grinding attachment.
Other tool grinders include the profile or contour grinder and moonset tool and cutter
grinder. The former is used to reproduce a template form on a flat or round cutter. The latter
is mainly used in grinding spiral fluted cutters and twist drills. Carbide tool grinder is used
for grinding various angles on single point tools, mainly carbide tipped tools.