Grinding Force and Surface Formation Mechanisms of 17CrNi2MoVNb Alloy When Grinding with CBN and Alumina Wheels

The 17CrNi2MoVNb alloy is widely used for manufacturing heavy-duty gears in vehicles’ transmission systems, where grinding is a significant process affecting gears’ working performance and service life. This work comprehensively analyzed the grinding force, surface morphology, and surface roughness when grinding 17CrNi2MoVNb alloy using alumina and CBN grinding wheels. Results showed that the maximum normal grinding force from the CBN wheel was only ~67% of the one from the alumina wheel. Due to the small size and limited cutting depth of CBN grains, the grinding force increased by about 20% when the grinding depth increased from 0.02 to 0.03 mm for CBN grinding wheels. Surface defects, including cavities and material tearing, were mainly found on the ground surface when using an alumina grinding wheel. The surface roughness Ra recorded from the CBN grinding wheel mainly ranged from 0.263 to 0.410 μm, accounting for less than 40% of the one from the alumina grinding wheel. The information from this work could provide benchmark data and references for optimizing grinding tools and parameters when manufacturing gears in the vehicle industry.