Effects of Grinding Process Parameters and Coolants on the Grindability of GFRP Laminates

Grinding is one of the mandatory methods for fabrication of precise glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) parts. In this work, grinding studies were carried out on GFRP using a cubic boron nitride (CBN) wheel. The grinding process was performed at different cutting speeds, feed rates, and depth of cuts. Grinding performance was evaluated by measuring forces and surface roughness of the ground GFRP composite laminate material. The effects of coolants in grinding the composite laminate material were investigated. Test results showed that in most cases, dry grinding achieved the greatest material removal rate and the lowest surface area roughness (Sa). Higher speed tends to produce better surface finish in dry grinding. Surface area roughness produced in wet grinding shows random and drastic variations. Surfaces ground in synthetic coolant show clean, hard, and smooth matrix, and are in general of better quality than those ground with emulsion coolant. Optical and electron microscopy was used to evaluate the grinding mechanism of GFRP laminate material. Surface profile waviness is the predominating factor contributing to surface area roughness over surface peaks and valleys.