PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATIONS ON LASER DRESSING OF GRINDING WHEELS.

In this paper, comparative studies on the effect of laser radiation on the abrasive and bond materials and preliminary investigations on the possibility of laser dressing of grinding wheels are presented. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) observations of the Nd:YAG laser machined areas on Aluminium oxide (Al//2O//3) Silicon carbide (SiC) and vitrified bond showed the formation of craters and cracks inside the crater and upon the resolidified layer. More material was observed to have been removed from SiC than from the other two. This was verified from actual measurements and are in accordance with the theoretical predictions. A sample Al//2O//3 grinding wheel was dressed by laser and the resulting surface generated was observed under SEM. These observations point favourably on laser dressing of grinding wheels.