Surface structuring using multi-stage grinding strategies based on geometric physically-based process simulations

摘要

For various industrial applications, e.g., the manufacturing of forming tools for the automotive sector, surface structures of functional areas play a decisive role. NC grinding processes on machining centers represent a flexible solution for finishing the free-form surfaces of forming tools. However, the surface topographies are influenced by several factors like the distribution of the grains and the wear of the tools. In this paper, a geometric physically-based simulation system is applied to predict the surface structures for different multi-stage grinding strategies. Point clouds were used for modeling the individual grains, which allows the simulation of different states of tool wear and the resulting influence on the surface topographies and process forces. Due to the high number of grains on the grinding tools, a stochastic model for the grain distributions and a database of different grain shapes were created based on representative measurements. The simulated surfaces are compared to experimental results in order to validate this approach.