Comprehensive study of grinding burn limit and subsurface modifications in grinding with CBN and corundum abrasives

This study investigates the shift in the thermal process limit for CBN compared to corundum abrasives as a function of specific grinding power and contact time during surface and cylindrical grinding. The results indicate that the use of CBN significantly reduces the thermal load, as demonstrated by metallographic cross-sections, residual stress depth profiles and hardness measurements. An empirical function is derived to calculate the depth of tempering zones. This enables a quantifiable comparison of CBN and corundum in terms of their thermal impact and provides a practical basis for the targeted and thermally stable design of multi-stage grinding processes.