Papers by Author: Inigo Pombo

Abstract: The use of fluids in grinding is necessary to carry out an optimized process that avoids any kind of damage in the ground workpieces. However, the use of fluids in machining processes presents some problems as the economic one and the environmental one. The present work analyzes the industrial viability of a new solution to avoid the use of fluids in grinding, the MCG system. This system combines the use of a MQL (Minimum Quantity Lubricant) commercial system and a gas supplied at low temperatures. In this case the grinding of a component of the engine of a competition motorcycle with the MCG (Minimum Coolant Grinding) system is compared with the classic fluid flow system.

Abstract: Grinding is a stochastic process applied in the last stages of the manufacturing cycle. In last decades, grinding research has focused on prediction of thermal damage on ground workpiece since it is of considerable importance from both research and industrial perspectives. A number of numerical and analytical thermal models have been carried out so far. However, new grinding processes such as peel grinding, creep feed grinding and others such as plongee grinding need new models which consider the effect of higher depth of cuts, but there is no information about the minimum depth of cut to consider the elimination of grounded material in FEM models. This article establishes the frontier from which the removed ground material should be physically eliminated to obtain an accurate FEM thermal model. Results show valuable information to decide which kind of model (with or without element elimination) is enough accurate for their purpose and application.

Abstract: Grinding process using superabrasive metal-bonded wheels is unavoidably linked to long and inefficient truing and dressing processes. This document presents the application of electro-discharge dressing process as an alternative to form wheels. The accuracy of the process and its efficiency has been analyzed on wheels of different grit size. To do so, complex geometry has been completely profiled to a 1A1 type wheels. Results show that the process can provide the desired geometry at the cost of a high processing time. The comparison between fine and large grit size grinding wheels shows that there is apparently no geometric limitation imposed by the grit size apart from that associated to grit diameter in corners and inner radii.

Abstract: Temperature measurement in grinding has been a widely analyzed field in the study of the process. Temperatures in grinding are too difficult to measure due to the high gradients in the ground workpiece. A lot of different methods have been employed by many researches in the last years. In this paper the use of thermocouples is analyzed attending to the mathematical characterization of their response. It will be shown that correct modeling of the thermocouple’s response permits the avoidance of the problem of thermal inertia, making thus possible the use commercial thermocouples for temperature measurement in grinding.

Abstract: The adaptation of universities to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) plays an essential role in society, creating new knowledge, transferring it to students by means of new and more active methodologies aimed at learning that will enable students to put everything they learn into practice. However, such methodologies are not equally applicable in all subjects. Subjects such as Manufacturing Technology, taught at different levels in both undergraduate and graduate levels, are descriptive to a great extent. This descriptive nature must be supported by new technologies if these subjects claim to be more attractive to students. In this paper some examples of successful case studies are presented. They represent the new way of understanding the teaching replacing the old concept of traditional classroom lecture by more interactive ones and, therefore, more attractive to students.