Optimization of industrial grinding processes using the theory of aggressiveness

In the first 60 years of grinding research (1914–1974), various dimensionless parameters were introduced to account for the fundamental mechanics of an abrasive contact. Later, these parameters were superseded by various chip-thickness models, which required the difficult and often ambiguous quantification of grinding-wheel topography. The first-principles approach has recently re-emerged via the grand-unifying Theory of Aggressiveness and the practical aggressiveness number, a dimensionless parameter that has proved to be powerful in optimizing any arbitrary abrasive process, including grinding and truing/dressing. It has now gained wider popularity and use because of its ability to capture the fundamental process geometry and kinematics while circumventing the need to quantify the wheel topography. This paper reviews the use of the dimensionless aggressiveness number in several case studies from real production, demonstrating how the concept can be used to optimize industrial processes, including camshaft and crankshaft grinding, saw-tip grinding, flute grinding, double-disc grinding, and diamond-wheel truing.