Improving Workpiece Roundness through Centerless Grinding Cycle Optimization

Abstract In centerless grinding, achievable workpiece roundness is directly related to the cycle length selected for the grinding process. This paper proposes a systematic approach to minimize workpiece roundness error by optimizing the cycle length. In the paper, the transient characteristics of the rounding process is first investigated. It was found that minimum workpiece roundness error can be obtained when the initial roundness error is effectively suppressed but the lobing pattern is not yet fully developed on the workpiece surface. Then, a computer simulation method is introduced to optimize the grinding cycle length in terms of minimum workpiece roundness error for both plunge and through-feed centerless grinding processes. The concept of an average growth rate is introduced to assess the lobing stability in through-feed centerless grinding.