Numerical modelling of the thermo-mechanical contact in the grinding process

The mechanical and thermal loads that occur during the grinding process in the contact zone between grain and workpiece have a decisive influence on the process result. In the workpiece edge zone, they can lead to changes in the material structure and thus in the residual stress condition, which have a negative influence on the application behaviour of the components. The prediction of the thermo-mechanical load spectrum is therefore the focus of numerous experimental and simulative research approaches. Numerical simulations offer the advantage of higher temporal and spatial resolutions of machining processes and state variables. So far, however, it has not been possible to describe the material behaviour during chip formation with sufficient accuracy. Therefore, there is no numerical model of the single grain intervention that maps the thermo-mechanical loads sufficiently accurately in dependence on the contact conditions. In particular, the influence of the grain shape is insufficiently considered.

The overriding goal of the project is a numerical model for the interaction of grain and workpiece in the grinding process, which maps the thermal and mechanical contact conditions in particular as a function of the grain shape.