Investigation on wear modes and mechanisms of abrasive belts in grinding of U71Mn steel

We investigated the wear modes and mechanisms of alumina grits during abrasive belt grinding of U71Mn steel under various normal forces and grinding speeds. Our approach consisted of an experimental procedure that produced sufficient wear followed by a resin-embedding method for observing the cross sections and topographies of grits. Statistics of wear modes and protrusion heights were calculated to visualize and quantify abrasive belt wear. The results demonstrated that different subsurface structures emerged inside the worn grits, and these structures were sensitive to process parameters. Transitions between abrasion and fracture wear modes were frequently observed. The effects of abrasive belt wear and process parameters on wear modes were clarified. The critical protrusion height of the abrasive belts for each wear mode of abrasive grits was experimentally determined.