Diamond Grinding of Ceramic Balls with a Circular Feed

The results of an experimental study of the effect of the processing mode on the wear of the diamond wheel surface and the accuracy of the ball shapes are described for diamond grinding of ceramic balls made of silicon nitride with a circular feed. The angle of inclination of the working surface in the radial direction, the curvature coefficient, and the accuracy of the shape of the polished balls, i.e., the instability of the ball diameter and the form factor of the round profilogram, are taken as wear indices of the wheel surface. The observed effects are described by adequate linear dependences of the angle of inclination and the curvature coefficient on the frequency of feeding the workpieces, the instability of the ball diameter on the wheel rotation frequency, and the form factor on both parameters. Combinations of the processing mode parameters within the studied range of changes are determined, which served as a basis for the subsequent optimization of the indicated parameter values.