Grinding wheel effect in the grind-hardening process

The grind-hardening process is based on the utilization of the generated heat in the grinding zone for inducing a metallurgical transformation on the surface of the ground workpiece. The workpiece surface is locally heated above the austenitization temperature and subsequently is quenched to increase surface hardness. A theoretical model was developed for the prediction of the heat-generation rate as a function of the process parameters and the grinding wheel characteristics. The model combined with a database of relationships among the heat entering the workpiece, the process parameters, and the hardness penetration depth (HPD), which was presented by the authors in an earlier publication, allows the assessment of the grinding wheel's effect characteristics on the hardening output of the process. The experimental results have verified the predictions of the theoretical model and served for its calibration.