Abstract: A grinding machine is shown as including a machine base, a wheel supported by the base and carrying a rotatable superabrasive grinding wheel, a device for relatively feeding the grinding wheel and a workpiece at a feed rate along a normal force vector between the two, and an apparatus for controlling the grinding processes. The apparatus further preferably includes a force transducer mounted adjacent the wheelhead to measure the magnitude of the normal force factor occurring between the wheel and the workpiece, as well as a control device for varying the feed rate and for determining the relative wheel sharpness based upon the feed rate and the measured normal forces. The feed rate can thereby be varied in response to the determined wheel sharpness to maintain a substantially constant normal force and to optimize the grinding process.

Abstract: A grinding machine is shown as including a machine base, a wheel supported by the base and carrying a rotatable superabrasive grinding wheel, a device for relatively feeding the grinding wheel and a workpiece at a feed rate along a normal force vector between the two, and an apparatus for controlling the grinding processes. The apparatus further preferably includes a force transducer mounted adjacent the wheelhead to measure the magnitude of the normal force factor occurring between the wheel and the workpiece, as well as a control device for varying the feed rate and for determining the relative wheel sharpness based upon the feed rate and the measured normal forces. The feed rate can thereby be varied in response to the determined wheel sharpness to maintain a substantially constant normal force and to optimize the grinding process.

Abstract: A grinding machine is shown as including a machine base, a wheel supported by the base and carrying a rotatable superabrasive grinding wheel, a device for relatively feeding the grinding wheel and a workpiece at a feed rate along a normal force vector between the two, and an apparatus for controlling the grinding processes. The apparatus further preferably includes a force transducer mounted adjacent the wheelhead to measure the magnitude of the normal force factor occurring between the wheel and the workpiece, as well as a control device for varying the feed rate and for determining the relative wheel sharpness based upon the feed rate and the measured normal forces. The feed rate can thereby be varied in response to the determined wheel sharpness to maintain a substantially constant normal force and to optimize the grinding process.

Abstract: A grinder has an abrasive belt removably mounted on a wheel for grinding a workpiece. The belt has its ends extend through a transverse slot in the wheel into a recess within the wheel. One end of the belt is attached to a first slider and the other end of the belt is attached to a second slider with the sliders increasing the tension on the ends of the belt through outward movement of the sliders by centrifugal force as the wheel rotates with the tension increasing as the angular velocity of the wheel increases. The sliders may move parallel to each other or along two separate radii extending from the axis of rotation of the wheel. Pivotally mounted pendulums may be employed instead of the sliders to apply tension to each end of the belt with the pendulums increasing the tension on the ends of the belt through outward movement of the pendulums by centrifugal force created by rotation of the wheel.

Abstract: A tangential grinding machine has a variable grinding feed rate which is dependent upon the length of the cutting or grinding path which occurs between the grinding wheel and a workpiece. The variable feed rate accomodates fluctuations in grinding wheel and workpiece dimensions to control the grinding time and optimize stock removal rates.