Grinding tools made of grains with controlled shape and orientation

Abstract

The cutting elements of the grinding tools are grains. But only a small part of the grains participates actively in the cumulative cutting process. Each grain has its own arbitrary shape and a chaotic arrangement in the body of the instrument. As a consequence, the geometry of the cutting part of the grains varies over a wide range and this greatly reduces the performance of grinding tools. A new class of tools and technology for their manufacture, in which the shape and orientation of the used grains is controlled, is proposed. The choice of a certain grains shape is ensured by separating the initial mass of the abrasive in a vibratory way into a series of fractions with the same grain form. Orientation of the grains is achieved by applying an electrostatic effect that regulates the grains position in the tool. The pilot batches of grinding wheels cutting, peeling, petal are designed and manufactured, as well as grinding skins and belts with controlled shape and orientation of the grains. Circles and tapes underwent comparative tests with standard tools and showed significant advantages in operation.