STOCHASTIC SIMULATION APPROACH TO MODELING DIAMOND WHEEL TOPOGRAPHY

The paper presents a stochastic simulation of the structure of metal/r esin bonded diamond grinding wheels. Various topographic indices, i.e. the protrusion height distribution, the static planar grain density, the distribution of inter-grain spacing and the percentage projected a rea due to exposed abrasives, are derived therefrom with reference to abrasive grit size and concentration. The simulation indicates that: ( i) the protrusion height distribution of a freshly dressed wheel is un iform, and is independent of abrasive concentration, (ii) the inter-gr ain sparing conforms to a gamma distribution, and (iii) the percentage projected area due to exposed abrasives is independent of abrasive gr it size. The results are validated by experimental data available in t he literature. (C) 1997 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.