Grinding machine

Abstract: The time to grind a workpiece (82) can be reduced by selecting a grinding wheel whose width is not substantially greater than wheel strength consideration require, and which may therefore be less than the axial length of the region to be ground. It is especially beneficial in a grinding machine (68) to employ two narrow grinding wheels mounted for independent movement towards and away from a workpiece (82). The wheels can be applied to plunge grind axially separated regions of a cylindrical portion of a workpiece, thereby enabling the machine to grind a range of axial lengths up to a length not exceeding a sum of the two wheel widths.

Description: Field of invention This invention concerns grinding machines, as per the preamble of claim 1. An example of such a machine is disclosed by JP 54 114 891 A. Background to the invention Removal of metal from a workpiece to define a ground region of a given axial length and diameter can be achieved by plunge grinding using a wheel whose width is equal to the axial length of the region to be ground, or by using a narrower wheel and progressively removing the material from the workpiece by axially traversing the workpiece relative to the wheel (or vice versa), or by using the narrow wheel and performing a series of adjacent slightly overlapping plunge grinds. All other things being equal, and providing unlimited power is available, overall cycle time (ie the time from the initial engagement of the wheel and the workpiece to final disengagement after the region has been ground to size), will be least where a single wheel and single plunge is involved, although the need to regularly dress the wheel will increase the total machining time for a batch of workpieces to something in excess of the theoretical overall time. In International Publication No. WO 96/05940 there is disclosed a dual wheel grinding machine in which each grinding wheel can be trued by a dressing wheel mounted on the wheelhead of the other grinding wheel. The two grinding wheels operate simultaneously to enable two regions of a workpiece, such as a camshaft, to be ground at the same time. Summary of the invention According to the invention, there is provided a grinding machine comprising two grinding wheels mounted on separate shafts for independent movement towards and away from a rotatable workpiece, and means for causing relative axial adjustment between each wheel and the workpiece, characterised in that each wheel is of a narrow width so as to be capable of performing a plunge grind into a cylindrical portion of the workpiece, including means for alternately operating the two wheels to plunge grind two respective overlapping or adjoining cylindrical portions, and in that each grinding wheel is profiled and includes a cylindrical surface and an annular region of greater diameter which is intended to engage the workpiece and form an undercut therein, whereby the machine can grind a range of axial lengths up to a length not exceeding the sum of the two wheel widths. Each grinding wheel and associated shaft of the machine is preferably mounted on a wheelhead for independent movement along a linear track. Such independent movement enables the machine to grind grooves and similar features of varying widths. In the machine, the workpiece is preferably mounted between centres in a tailstock and a headstock which also houses a motor for rotating the workpiece. The machine preferably further comprises a programmable computer for controlling the movements of the wheelheads towards and away from the workpiece. Programmable computer control enables the machine to be more easily adapted for performing a plurality of mutually different grinding operation. In the machine, the workpiece is preferably a crankshaft, and the wheels beneficially grind a crankpin thereof. The machine preferably further comprises a gauge for in-process gauging the diameter of the crankpin as it is ground. Incorporation of the gauge is advantageous because it enables flexural movement of the crankpin to be compensated for or taken into account when performing a grinding operation. The machine advantageously further comprises a gauge for measuring each grinding wheel diameter, and means for feeding signals from the gauge to the computer. Gauging each grinding wheel diameter enables the machine to correct for, or apply compensation for, grinding wheel and grinding errors which can potentially arise therefrom. The machine preferably further comprises a worksteady having a movable arm to engage a journal region of the crankshaft to resist bending thereof under grinding forces. In the grinding machine, adjustment of said means for adjusting each wheel is preferably made during set-up, to allow for different axially spaced regions of a workpiece to be addressed. Preferably, the workpiece, or the respective wheelhead, is indexed so as to grind with first one and then the other of the two profiled grinding wheels. In the machine, the spacing between the two undercuts advantageously is to be adjustable, in which both of the wheels have the same width, so that the minimum spacing between the two profiles is equal to the width of one wheel and the maximum spacing is equal to the sum of the widths of the two wheels, namely a range of 2:1. Advantageously in the machine, each grinding wheel also includes wheel dressing means. Description of the Drawings The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a conventional plunge grind using a wide grinding wheel; Figure 2 is a diagram of a sequence of plunge grinds using a narrow wheel for removing material over the same axial extent as the wide wheel and under some circumstances obtain a faster grinding time; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a conventional twin profiled grinding wheel for grinding a workpiece in a plunge grind mode as shown; Figure 4 is an illustration of how two narrower profiled grinding wheels can be used in accordance with the invention to grind the same region as the twin profiled wheel of Figure 3, and under some circumstances achieve a higher grinding speed; Figures 5A, B and C are illustrations of how three different grinding wheels, each selected to allow optimal material removal per plunge given a fixed power capability of the machine, can be used to grind a similar region to that shown in Figure 4 but of greater axial extent than is possible using two profiled grinding wheels such as in Figure 4; Figure 6 is a perspective view of a computer controlled grinding machine fitted with two independently controllable narrow gauge grinding wheels; Detailed description of Embodiments of the Invention In Figure 1, there is shown a conventional plunge grinding technique wherein a grinding wheel 10 is shown aligned with a region 12 of a workpiece 14 which has been ground by plunging the wheel 10 into the workpiece 14 in the direction of an arrow 16 by a distance equal to the change in radius as between a larger diameter of the workpiece 14 and a smaller diameter of the region 12. If the axial distance between the shoulders at opposite ends of the reduced diameter region 12 is L, then it has hitherto generally been assumed that the minimum time for grinding is obtained by selecting a single grinding wheel of width L and performing a single plunge grind. If unlimited power and infinite workpiece stiffness workpiece and machine supports can be assumed, then such a conventional approach would result in a minimum grinding time. However it has been discovered that increasing the wheel width requires disproportionately greater increases in power to match the material removable capabilities of narrower wheels using the same grinding material, and if unlimited power is not available, and in particular if the RMS power requirement is significantly limited, the feed rate achievable, namely the rate at which the wheel 10 is advanced in the direction of the arrow 16, reduces significantly as the wheel width increases. Whilst a greater axial length of workpiece is addressed by a wider wheel, the volume of material removed per second can in fact be less than if the same power is available to drive a narrower wheel. Figure 2 illustrates the principle of the invention wherein the grinding wheel 10 is replaced by a narrower grinding wheel 18 whose thickness is approximately one third that of the wheel 10. Operation of the wheel 18 and its associated machine will now be described. The wheel 18 is actuated to provide a plunge grind to produce a reduced diameter section 20 which, if the feed in the direction of an arrow 22 in Figure 2 is the same as the distance through which wheel 10 is moved, will result in the same final diameter for the region 20 as is the diameter of the region 12. The wheel 18 is next retracted in the opposite direction of arrow 22 and either the wheel 18 or the workpiece indexed (or both) so as to present another region of the workpiece 14 for grinding, after which a second plunge grind is performed so as to remove one or other of the regions denoted in dotted outline at 24 and 26. Subsequent indexing allows the remaining region to be removed by a third plunge grind. In order to obtain more uniform wheel wear, regions such as 26 are preferably plunge ground before region such as 24, so that each of the flat surfaces of the wheel 18 is subjected to the same number of interactions with unground material as is the other. In order to ensure full removal of material, the actual thickness of the wheel 18 should be just greater than one third of the distance L. By aligning a left hand edge of the wheel 18 with a left hand end position of the region 20 which is to be ground, the first plunge grind will remove just over one third of the distance L. By then aligning the right hand edge of the wheel 18 a distance L from the shoulder formed by the first plunge grind, a second plunge grind will remove material from the opposite end of the region 20 over a distance equal to just over one third of the length L measured from the right hand shoulder. This leaves an annular upstand in the middle which is somewhat less than one third L in axial extent and is equidistant from each of the two shoulders at opposite ends of the region 20. This annulus of unwanted material can then be removed by a single plunge grind by centering it and the wheel 18 and performing the third plunge grind. If one of the ends of the region 20 is to be formed with an annular profile such as an undercut, then a second wheel (not shown) may be used to perform the plunge grind in the region in which the undercut is required, but the other region or regions in which an undercut is not required can be removed using a plain grinding wheel such as that shown at 18 in Figure 2. Where two undercuts are required such as at opposite ends of a crankpin such as shown in Figure 3, it has been conventional to employ a twin profiled grinding wheel such as shown at 28 in Figure 3. A wheel dressing device (not shown) is provided to produce and regularly maintain/reinstate the external peripheral profile of the wheel 28, and a single plunge grind will result in a ground region in the workpiece 14 made up of a cylindrical pin surface 30 having a diameter less than the diameter of the adjoining regions of the workpiece 14, with two undercuts 32 and 34, one at each end between the reduced diameter pin 30 and the shoulders 36 and 38. With use, the profile 40 and 42 on the grinding wheel 28 which produce the undercuts 32 and 34 become worn and it is necessary in practice to frequently re-shape the wheel 28 so as to ensure that the correct depth of undercut is achieved. Figure 4 shows how the region 30 of Figure 3 can be ground in accordance with the invention using two narrower grinding wheels 44 and 46 each containing an edge profile 48 and 50 respectively for grinding an undercut. The method involves plunge grinding using the first grinding wheel 44 so as to grind the first half of a reduced diameter section 54 of the workpiece 52, with an undercut 56. The wheel 44 is then withdrawn and by appropriate relative movement, the second wheel 46 is aligned with the other part of the region to be ground. Using a second plunge grind, the region shown in dotted outline is now ground so as to complete the grinding of the region 54, with a second undercut at 58. The width of each of the two grinding wheels 44 and 46 (including the profiled region 48 and 50 in each case), is just a little in excess of 50% of the axial distance between the two shoulders or cheeks left after grinding, namely 60 and 62. By ensuring that the sum of the two wheel widths is just greater than this dimension, there is little risk of any unground material being left after the second plunge grind by the wheel 46. In fact the two wheels 44 and 46 can be used to grind any region similar to 54 in which the distance between the two shoulders 60 and 62 can be anything between the width of the wider of the two wheels 44 and 46 up to the sum of the widths of the two grinding wheels. In this regard it will be seen that overlapping the two plain sections of the grinding wheels should not produce any additional unwanted grinding provided the two grinding wheels are advanced by the appropriate amount in each case. If a general purpose machine is to be provided the two grinding wheels 44 and 46 should both be of the same width since this will give the greatest range of dimensions between shoulders 60 and 62. Using two such wheels as in Figure 4 may not allow ultimate optimisation of the grinding process, but where the same grinding material is utilised in the two wheels as is used on the single wheel of Figure 3, the workpiece is of similar material, the same reduction in diameter and same axial extent of the workpiece is to be ground, a significant saving in cycle time has been obtained using two wheels to grind, as in Figure 4, instead of a single wheel 28 as in Figure 3, when using the same grinding machine and operating the latter at its maximum peak/and RMS power capability during each grinding process. What has been found is that the narrower the wheel such as 44 and 46, the higher is the rate at which the wheel can be fed forward during the plunge grind mode. If the axial length of the region to be ground is such that half the axial length produces a relatively thick grinding wheel an advantage may be gained by adopting a method and technique such as shown in Figure 5. This permits the narrowest possible wheels to be utilised taking into consideration rigidity and wheel strength as well as power capability. For simplicity the same reference numerals have been used to describe the grinding wheels described in relation to Figure 4 and the workpiece is likewise identified by reference numeral 52. In the Figure 5 arrangement, a plunge grind using wheel 44 forms the shoulder 60 and the first region 54 with an undercut 56. Retraction and indexing (see Figure 5B) allows the second grinding wheel 46 to plunge grind the second shoulder 62, and a second part of the reduced diameter region 54 which in Figure 5B is denoted by 55. The edge profile on wheel 46 produces the second undercut 58. The difference between the Figure 4 and Figure 5 arrangements is that after the second plunge grind there exists an annular region 64 between the two regions 54 and 55, the outside diameter of which is commensurate with that of the workpiece 52. If no further undercuts are required, neither of the wheels 44 and 46 can be used to remove this region. To this end a third grinding wheel 66 is provided and after appropriate indexing (see Figure 5(c)) to bring the workpiece region 64 into registry with the third wheel 66 (either by moving the workpiece relative to the wheel or the wheel relative to the workpiece, or both), the unwanted region 64 can be removed by plunge grinding using the third wheel 66. If the width of the latter is large enough a single plunge grind suitably located relative to the workpiece will remove the annulus of unwanted material 64. If as shown, the region 64 is of greater axial extent than the thickness of the wheel 66, two or more plunge grinds will be required. To even out wear on the wheel 66, the latter is preferably introduced in a given sequence which may have to be changed from one workpiece to the next. Thus for example the wheel 66 may be introduced at the left hand end of the region 64 first of all, and then the right hand end and then if any material still remains to be removed, it can be brought in centrally. If the axial length of the region 64 is excessive, so that four or five or even more plunge grinds are required, these are preferably arranged so that an equal number involve one side and an equal number the other side of the wheel 66 so as to create a uniform wear pattern. The invention is of particular application to grinding using CBN electroplated wheels. The grinding capability of such wheels has not been taken full advantage of hitherto. The wheel manufacturers specify a maximum material removal rate and it has been found that rarely is this rate achieved during grinding. In particular the motor power, particularly the RMS power of the motor driving the grinding wheel, limits the rate at which the wheel can be advanced and material removed. The RMS power capability of a motor is a measure of the continuous power requirements for the whole cycle and if the motor RMS power specification is exceeded the motor will overheat. For electroplated wheels, the wheel specification is referred to in terms of specific metal removal rate (SMRR) and this is defined as the volume of metal removed per second, per millimetre wheel width, and forms the basis for grinding power calculations. Wheel manufacturers suggest that the maximum SMRR for electroplate CBN wheels is 360mm 3 /mm.s when grinding cast iron and using neat oil as a coolant. However it is often the case that motor power limitations have limited wheel feed rates so that actually grinding is in the range 30 to 66mm 3 /mm.s. By incorporating the techniques proposed by the invention, much higher grinding rates than the 30 to 60 rate quoted above can be achieved which enables feed times to be greatly reduced. By reducing the width of the wheel, more plunges are required but the additional time required for indexing to present the wheel to different regions of, or different wheels to the workpiece, can be more than offset by the much shorter grinding times required for each plunge grind step. As one example let us consider a four cylinder crankshaft in which the pins have to be ground from 50mm to 40mm, and the pins are each 23mm wide. A work speed of 30rpm has been assumed. The motor power specification is assumed to be 50 kilowatts maximum peak power and 30 kilowatts maximum RMS power. Using a 23mm wide wheel, and a single plunge method, the specific metal removal rate can be found to be 36.9mm 3 /mm.s (from a graph of SMRR vs specific power). Grinding time for the four pins is therefore 4x14 which equals 56 seconds. The time with the spindle running/coolant on is 5.1 seconds. However to remain within the RMS power requirements of the motor, the feed rate has been reduced dramatically and the cycle time has to be at least 131.2 seconds. Using two 12mm wide wheels and two separate plunge grinds the specific metal removal rate for each wheel of 110.7 mm 3 /mm.s is permissible (from the same graph of SMRR vs specific power). The total grinding time is now 4 x 2 x 6 which equals 48 seconds and the time with the spindle running and coolant is 10.1 seconds. However in view of the lower RMS power requirements, the feed rate can be increased and the cycle time is now reduced to 63.3 seconds for the same maximum RMS power requirement. It will be seen therefore that the cycle time has been approximately halved using a two-plunge method and the majority of the time saving can be attributed to the reduction in RMS power requirement since the higher feed rate during each plunge disproportionately compensates for the need to perform two plunges, and there is no increase in cycle time to accommodate the lower RMS power capability. Figure 6 shows a grinding machine 68 having two grinding wheels 70, 72 driven by motors 74, 76 and mounted on wheelheads 78, 80 for movement towards and away from a workpiece 82 along linear tracks 84, 86 under the control of wheelfeed drive motors 88, 90. The workpiece is mounted between centres in a tailstock 92 and a headstock 94 which also houses a motor (not shown) for rotating the workpiece 82 via a chuck 96. the workpiece shown is a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine and includes offset crankpins such as 98 which are to be ground to size, each of which constitutes a cylindrical workpiece for grinding. A computer 100 running a programme to be described, controls the operation of the machine and inter alia moves the wheelheads 78, 80 towards and away from the workpiece 82 as the workpiece rotates, so as to maintain contact between the wheel and the crankpin being ground, as the latter rotates circularly around the axis of the workpiece centres. A gauge, not shown, may be carried by the wheelhead assembly for in-process gauging the diameter of the crankpin as it is ground. At 102 is mounted a hydraulically or pneumatically operated worksteady having a base 104 and movable cantilever arm 106 adapted at the right hand end as shown to engage a cylindrical journal bearing region of the crankshaft workpiece 82. Controlling signals for advancing and retracting 106 are derived from the computer 100. At 108 and 110 are mounted two wheel diameter sensing gauges, signals from which are supplied back to the computer 100. In Figure 7 the workpiece is described diagrammatically at 110, mounted between footstock 112 and headstock 114 which is driven by workdrive motor 116. The workpiece is engaged by a grinding wheel 118 carried by a wheelhead 120 which is moved towards and away from the workpiece 110 by feed motor 122. The grinding wheel is rotated by a spindle drive motor 124. Input data which is entered by an operator is shown on the left hand side of the diagram. The grinding wheel cutting speed in revs/seconds is entered and stored at 126. Grinding wheel spindle drive motor mechanism power capability is entered and stored (as a constant parameter) at 128. Grinding wheel spindle drive motor maximum RMS power limit is entered and stored at 130. Again this will tend to be a constant parameter for the machine. The maximum wheelfeed to be attempted per workpiece revolution, during grinding and expressed as a % of the theoretical maximum, is entered and stored at 132. Details of the coolant composition are entered and stored at 134. Details of the material from which the grinding wheel is composed are entered and stored at 136. Details of the workpiece material are entered and stored at 138. The workpiece cutting speed in min/sec is entered and stored at 140. From 134, 136 and 138 the specific material rate during grinding in cubic mm per m-s, is computed by programme step 142 and the removal rate is supplied to programme step 144 to compute the theoretical grinding wheel feed in mm per workpiece revolution. Step 146 adjusts this to a lesser value depending on the % figure from 132 and using the rotational speed of the workpiece (in revs/second) from programme step 148 the grinding wheel feed rate is computed in step 150. Control unit 152 serves to generate a control signal for motor 122 from the feed rate from 150. The computed rotational speed from 148 is supplied to control unit 154 to generate a control signal for motor 146. The grinding wheel cutting speed signal in rev/sec from 126 is converted by control unit 156 to a control signal for controlling the spindle drive motor 124, and a torque sensor (not shown) operates a feedback signal which is supplied together with the desired cutting speed in revs/second from 126, programme step 158 which computes the power required to achieve the speed of cutting and the RMS power being consumed. The instantaneous and RMS power values are compared with the stored values in 128 and 130 by programme steps 160, 162 and if either is exceeded a further reduction in feed rate per revolution is effected by programme step 146. This in turn reduces the wheelfeed rate demand from 150 which reduces the demand made on motor 122, thereby reducing the wheelhead feed rate. The control signal for motor 154 is obtained from the data in 140 and the workpiece radius obtained by gauging. Where this radius information is obtained by in process gauging, it is supplied along path 164 to programme step 148 together with the workpiece cutting speed information from 140, to modify the rotational speed control signal to be computed by step 48. In this way workpiece rotational speed is adjusted to accommodate the changing diameter of the workpiece and the latter is ground.

Claims: A grinding machine comprising two grinding wheels (44, 46) mounted on separate shafts for independent movement towards and away from a rotatable workpiece (52), and means for causing relative axial adjustment between each wheel and the workpiece, characterised in that each wheel is of a narrow width so as to be capable of performing a plunge grind into a cylindrical portion (54) of the workpiece, including means for alternately operating the two wheels to plunge grind two respective overlapping or adjoining cylindrical portions, and in that each grinding wheel (44, 46) is profiled and includes a cylindrical surface and an annular region (48, 50) of greater diameter which is intended to engage the workpiece and form an undercut (56, 58) therein, whereby the machine can grind a range of axial lengths up to a length not exceeding the sum of the two wheel widths. A machine as claimed in Claim 1, in which each grinding wheel (70, 72) and shaft is mounted on a wheelhead (78, 80) for independent movement along a linear track. A machine as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, in which the workpiece (82) is mounted between centres in a tailstock (92) and a headstock (94) which also houses a motor for rotating the workpiece. A machine as claimed in Claim 2 or Claim 3 further comprising a programmable computer (100) for controlling the movements of the wheelheads (78, 80) towards and away from the workpiece. A machine as Claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, in which the workpiece (82) is a crankshaft, and the wheels grind a crankpin (98) thereof. A machine as claimed in Claim 5 further comprising a gauge for in-process gauging the diameter of the crankpin (98) as it is ground. A machine as Claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6 further comprising a gauge for measuring each grinding wheel diameter, and means for feeding signals from the gauge to the computer. A machine as claimed in any one of Claims 5 to 7 further comprising a worksteady (102) having a movable arm (106) to engage a journal region of the crankshaft (82) to resist bending thereof under grinding forces. A grinding machine as claimed in Claim 1, wherein adjustment of said means for causing relative axial adjustment is made during set-up, to allow for different axially spaced regions of a workpiece to be addressed. A machine as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the workpiece (52) or the respective wheelhead is indexed so as to grind with first one and then the other of the two profiled grinding wheels (44, 46). A machine as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 10, wherein the spacing between the two undercuts (56, 58) is to be adjustable, in which both of the wheels (44, 46) have the same width, so that the minimum spacing between the two profiles is equal to the width of one wheel and the maximum spacing is equal to the sum of the widths of the two wheels, ie a range of 2:1. A machine as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 11, wherein each grinding wheel also includes wheel dressing means.

Inventors: COVERDALE STEPHEN ROGER, LAYCOCK MICHAEL
Applicants: UNOVA UK LTD, UNOVA U.K. LIMITED
Application year: 1997
Main classification: B24B1
IPC codes: B24B5