Condition monitoring of grinding process through machine vision system

This study aims at developing a non-contact method for measuring the grinding wheel loading and wheel wear and thereby determining the optimum dressing intervals. With the aid of a machine vision system, this paper presents a systematic process for measuring the wheel loading. The images of the grinding wheel have been taken using a digital camera. These images have been transferred to the computer and are processed for determining the percentage of loading. The image toolbox of MATLAB has been used for image processing. Global thresholding technique has been used to differentiate the loaded region of the wheel from rest of the background. Images of the grinding wheel in static as well as dynamic condition are taken and are analyzed. Experimental results are presented which show the ability of using machine vision system in the online monitoring of the grinding wheel loading.