Process monitoring in precision cylindrical traverse grinding of slender bar using acoustic emission technology

The precision cylindrical traverse grinding process of slender bar is very complex for the strongly time dependent properties of the wheel. Therefore, it is very difficult for operators to properly judge the grinding state using naked eyes and ears. This calls for automatic monitoring technology that can monitor the process in precision cylindrical traverse grinding to guarantee machining quality and productivity as well as reduction in cost. This study developed an automatic monitoring system for precision cylindrical traverse grinding of slender bar using Acoustic emission (AE) technology. Grinding tests on molybdenum were conducted under traverse conditions in a conventional cylindrical grinder. It was found that larger radial material removal depth results in larger root mean square value of Acoustic emission signals (AE(RMS)). Based on this, the AE(RMS) was analyzed and used to determine the finishing of spark-out process and the pre-processing of tool alignment. The variation tendency of AE(RMS) in one spark-out process was applied to determine when a wheel wears out and has to be dressed. The experimental results showed that the AE system was effective to monitor the pre-processing of tool alignment, spark-out and wheel wear in precision cylindrical traverse grinding of slender bar.