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

 

The mechanical and thermal loads occurring during the grinding process have a decisive influence on the process result. In the ecternal zone of the workpiece, they can lead to residual stresses, which can have a negative influence on the application behaviour of the groubd components. In the past, a large number of investigations have been carried out to analyse the thermo-mechanical processes during the interaction of grains and workpiece. These can be divided into experimental and simulative investigations based on numerical models. In comparison to experimental investigations, numerical simulations can be used to determine the processes and state variables at higher local and temporal resolutions and, in particular, at any position of the contact area. In addition, numerical models allow to vary influencing variables independently of each other and thus to analyse them.

Existing numerical models of the thermo-mechanical contact of abrasive grain and workpiece do not represent reality and especially the influence of the grain shape on the contact conditions with sufficient accuracy. Therefore, the overall goal of the project is to develop a numerical model for the grain-workpiece-interaction in the grinding process that represents the thermo-mechanical contact conditions with sufficient accuracy to investigate the interactions in the contact between grain and material and to identify the influence of the process parameters and especially the grain shape on the thermo-mechanical load collective.