Study on grinding strengthening and hardening mechanism under small depth of cut conditions

Grinding strengthening is a new technical principle, which can implement surface hardness directly by the composite process of thermal load and mechanical force during grinding process. The residual stress and hardness changes in ground surface make the key role to measure the surface integrity of workpiece, and also have significant effect on the fatigue strength and wear resistance of workpiece. Concerning grinding process under small depth of cut conditions in practical engineering, the strengthened layer microstructure, thickness, surface hardness and residual stress were studied based on grinding strengthening test of 45 steel specimens. This study highlights the discussions of the forming mechanism and microstructure of grinding strengthened layer through the experiment and simulation investigations. A theoretical basis for grinding hardening layer quality control and grinding strengthening process making properly under small depth of cut conditions was provided.