On-machine measurement and statistical analysis of wheel wear after grinding optical glass

On-machine measurement and statistical analysis of wheel topography are important for real-time monitoring the wheel condition during grinding and predicting the performance of grinding process. In this paper, the surface topographies of grinding wheel in the different stages of the grinding of fused silica and BK7weremeasured with a white light interferometer, which was set on the surface grinder. Height parameters of 3D surface roughness were proposed to evaluate the wheel wear. Wheel wear mechanisms were essentially determined by analyzing the different material removal modes of optical glasses. Grinding of BK7 mainly causes severe attritious wear of grains, while grinding fused silica, self-sharpening effect makes grinding sustain for a long time.