Prevision of Thermal Residual Stresses in Surface Plunge Grinding of Steels

It is utmost important to have a mathematical, model of the residual stresses induced by finish grinding, because this machining operation often determinates the final state of residual stresses of a part which influences its behaviour in service. The use of the finite element method allows the determination of the thermal field and its evolution with time, and rather well the residual stresses with a computing program of elastoplastic behaviour based on temperature gradients. We may therefore define the variation of residual stresses in relation to the grinding conditions. This, in turn, allows a better selection of the machining conditions in order to obtain a favorable distribution of these stresses.