This paper attempts to characterize the wear mechanism of an electroplated CBN wheel during creep-feed grinding of a Ni-base alloy with aqueous coolant. The investigation was carried out in two steps. The first was designed to compare and contrast the performance of the wheels in water soluble as compared to straight oil. The second experiment was designed to assess the wear mechanism by monitoring physical and chemical changes on the wheel surface at discrete intervals throughout the wheel life. A special wheel with a removable segment was designed to aid the investigation. This study will guide efforts to extend wheel life and to optimize/troubleshoot electroplated CBN grinding operations in the industry.
