Influence of dressing feed on the performance of laser dressed Al<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf> wheel in wet grinding

The influence of dressing feed on the performance of a laser dressed Al2O3 wheel in surface grinding under wet, plunge grinding conditions is discussed. The performance of a grinding wheel dressed with different feed rates was evaluated by means of several grinding parameters such as grinding forces, wheel wear against work material removed (G-ratio), worksurface finish and its integrity. The performance of a laser dressed wheel was compared with that of a diamond dressed wheel. Analysis of the results clearly indicated the satisfactory performance of the laser dressed Al2O3 wheel in wet grinding, especially when dressed with a feed of 0.35 mm/rev and with an intensity of 4.0 × 1010W/m2. Further, this particular analysis suggests the selection of smaller feed rates for dressing grinding wheels with a laser in order to modify the wheel surface topography considerably, so as to produce effective grinding results with laser dressed grinding wheels. © 1995.