Analysis of process parameters in surface grinding with graphite as lubricant based on the Taguchi method

Cooling and lubrication are especially important to ensure workpiece quality in grinding, because of high friction and intense heat generation involved in the process. Conventionally, liquid coolants in flood form are employed in grinding. However, there has been an afterthought in the usage of fluid in this way on some technical, environmental and economic grounds. Minimization and possibly the elimination of fluid coolants by substituting their functions through some other means is of current research interest. Authors have investigated the possibility of using graphite as a lubricating medium to reduce the heat generated at the grinding zone in surface grinding with a newly developed experimental setup. This paper deals with the analysis of the process parameters such as speed, feed, infeed and mode of dressing as influential factors, on the force components and surface finish developed based on Taguchi's experimental design methods. Taguchi's tools such as orthogonal array, signal-to-noise ratio, factor effect analysis, ANOVA, etc. have been used for this purpose and an optimal condition has been found out. The results have been compared with the results obtained in the conventional coolant grinding. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.