Composition and manufacture of Grinding wheel

      The grinding wheel is generally made from a matrix of coarse particles pressed and bonded together to form a solid, circular shape, various profiles and cross sections are available depending on the intended usage for the cutting wheel. They may also be made from a solid steel or abrasive wheel with particles bonded to the surface.

      Materials used are generally silicon carbide and diamond with a vitrified bonding agent. In production grinding, a wide array of materials is used. Wheels with different abrasives, structure, bond, grade, and grain sizes are available. The abrasive is the actual cutting material, such as cubic boron nitride, zirconia aluminum oxide, manufactured diamonds, ceramic aluminum oxide, aluminum oxide, and others. The abrasive is selected based on the hardness of the material being cut. The structure of the wheel refers to the density of the wheel (bond and abrasive versus airspace). A less-dense wheel will cut freely, and has a large effect on surface finish. A less dense wheel is able to take a deeper or wider cut with less coolant, as the chip clearance on the wheel is greater. The grade of the wheel determines how tightly the bond holds the abrasive. Grade affects almost all considerations of grinding, such as wheel speed, coolant flow, maximum and minimum feed rates, and grinding depth. Grain size determines the physical abrasive size in the wheel. A larger grain will cut freely, allowing fast cutting but poor surface finish. Ultra-fine grain sizes are for precision finish work, where a fine surface finish is required. The wheel bonding agent determines how the wheel holds the abrasives. This affects finish, coolant, and minimum/maximum wheel speed.