Optimization of Replaced Grinding Wheel Diameter for Surface Grinding Based on a Cost Analysis

Based on a cost analysis, a method of identifying and predicting optimum replaced grinding wheel diameter (De.op) in a surface grinding operation for 9CrSi steel material was developed in this study. The De.op value was determined by minimizing the cost function. An experimental design was set up, and a computational program was developed to perform the experiment in order to calculate the De.op value. Furthermore, the impact of the grinding process parameters such as the initial grinding wheel diameter, the grinding wheel width, the total dressing depth, the Rockwell hardness of the workpiece, the radial grinding wheel wear per dress, and the wheel life on the De.op value were investigated. Moreover, the impacts of the cost components such as the machine tool hourly rate and the grinding wheel cost on the De.op value were given. Based on that, a mathematical model was proposed to determine the De.op value. The predicted De.op value was also verified by an experiment. The obtained result shows that the difference between the experimental De.op value and the predicted De.op value is within 1.7%, indicating that the mathematical model proposed in the study is reliable.