Grinding tool design for the manufacturing of UHC-steel

Recently developed aluminum-alloyed ultra-high carbon steels (UHC-steels) show a high potential for industrial lightweight applications due to their exceptional mechanical properties at a reduced density of 6.7–6.9 g/cm³. However, due to its low thermal conductivity and embedded carbides, the grinding of this material is challenging. In this paper, the grindability of UHC-steel with conventional grinding wheels with a resin bond is investigated. It was shown that it is possible to productively grind UHC-steel if highly porous grinding wheels are used with sintered alumina as abrasive material.