Three-dimensional measurement of wheel surface topography with image processing

The grinding wheel surface topography characterized by the distribution and shape of cutting edges has a strong influence on surface roughness. It was shown previously that the three-dimensional measurement method for cutting edges is effective for measuring diamond and CBN wheels. Here, a new three-dimensional measurement system for analyzing the whole area of the wheel surface has been developed, and a wheel with fixed diamond grains at uniform intervals is analyzed. According to this scheme, the topography can be used for evaluation from new viewpoints, such as the shape of the rake edges, polygonal approximation, circularity, and area of the internal or external lack in the wear flat area.