In-process force measurement for diameter control in precision cylindrical grinding

This article shows the theory and implementation of a force measurement-based approach to controlling workpiece diameter in cylindrical grinding. A simple model proposed is used to relate infeed velocity to grinding force. The model is extended to accurately control the amount of material removed in outer diameter plunge grinding given the normal force, which may be monitored in real-time. The model incorporates the key parameters, including the structural loop stiffness, the plunge infeed velocity, and the wheel and workpiece properties. However, only the infeed velocity must be explicitly known. The contribution of this work is experimental validation that the lag between infeed and stock removal can be predicted using force feedback without a priori knowledge of the grinding system. This allows very accurate diameter control (0.25 μm of nominal), even in the presence of thermal drift, wheel wear, and machine error.