Thermal Study in Diamond Grinding of Zirconia

In the present study, zirconia ceramic was ground with a resin-bonded diamond wheel on a precision surface grinding machine. Grinding temperatures generated at the wheel-workpiece contact zone were measured using a sandwiched foil thermocouple, and the net consumed grinding powers were also measured. The energy partition to the diamond abrasives was estimated using measured grinding temperatures and powers. Based on the energy partition values obtained from the analyzed results, the diamond tip temperature was calculated and found to be over 1000°C if the circular grain contact of radius was less than a critical value for ductile field grinding of zirconia ceramic.