Title: A preliminary investigation on the application of air-coupled ultrasound to evaluate surface condition of the grinding wheel

Authors: N. Arunachalam; R. AnandKumar; B. Ramamoorthy

Addresses: Manufacturing Engineering Section, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai-600036, Tamilnadu, India. ' Manufacturing Engineering Section, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai-600036, Tamilnadu, India. ' Manufacturing Engineering Section, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai-600036, Tamilnadu, India

Abstract: This paper deals with the application of the ultrasonic reflection method of non-destructive evaluation to monitor the condition of a grinding wheel surface. As the grinding process continues, the grinding wheel wear and loading changes the texture of the grinding wheel surface which changes the reflective characteristics of the grinding wheel surface. Ultrasonic signals are made to impinge on the surface of a grinding wheel and the amplitude of the reflected waves is evaluated to reveal the changes in the surface condition of the grinding wheel. A variation of the intensity of reflected waves with the increase in wheel wear helps us determine the redressing time for the grinding wheel. The intensity of the echo amplitude clearly indicates the changes in the grinding wheel condition. This indicates the suitability of this method for in process monitoring of the grinding wheel surface condition to evaluate the dressing time in order to avoid the production of defective products.

Keywords: grinding wheels; condition monitoring; NDT; nondestructive testing; ultrasonic reflection; wear assessment; surface quality; surface roughness; air-coupled ultrasound.

DOI: 10.1504/IJAT.2011.042823

International Journal of Abrasive Technology, 2011 Vol.4 No.3, pp.266 - 278

Received: 25 Nov 2010
Accepted: 26 Mar 2011

Published online: 30 Sep 2014 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article