ABSTRACT Grinding in conventional air atmospheres is affected by the formation of oxide and passivation layers, which alter friction, material removal behavior, and surface integrity. This study investigates the influence of an oxygen‐free atmosphere on surface grinding by eliminating atmospheric oxygen through argon purging and the introduction of an Ar/SiH 4 gas mixture, achieving an extremely low oxygen partial pressure. Four materials with different oxygen affinities (Ti‐6Al‐4 V, AlSi10Mg, C45 steel, K40‐UF) were machined under both air and oxygen‐free conditions. Process forces, residual stresses, and surface roughness were evaluated to identify atmosphere‐dependent effects. The oxygen‐free atmosphere led to reduced normal grinding forces, most notably for the cemented carbide K40‐UF, while tangential forces remained largely unchanged. Residual stresses shifted toward more favorable compressive levels for all materials except AlSi10Mg. Surface roughness parameters were mostly unaffected, with measurable changes in Svk and Sk only for Ti‐6Al‐4 V and minor variations for C45. The results indicate that oxygen suppression reduces friction and modifies surface interaction mechanisms, particularly under higher thermal loads. This study provides a systematic assessment of atmospheric oxygen as an influential process variable in grinding and highlights the material‐dependent sensitivity of grinding mechanisms to oxygen‐free conditions.
Denkena et al. (Thu,) studied this question.