Study of the Effect of Solid Lubricant Composition on Surface Roughness of Ground Parts

Grinding technology is an essential production operation, especially when a part with strict surface quality requirements is to be produced. At the same time, the lubrication and cooling technology used during grinding can have a significant impact on the surface quality of the machined part. This paper deals with the influence of solid lubricant composition on the roughness parameter Ra when grinding hard-to-machine materials, namely tungsten carbide alloys, titanium alloys, heat-resistant steels etc. The results of experimental studies of the effect of cutting depth and composition of solid lubricant on the surface roughness of parts from hard-to-machine materials when diamond and diamond-spark grinding are presented. It has been experimentally confirmed that varying the composition of solid lubricants influences the roughness parameter Ra as at diamond grinding and at diamond-spark grinding of parts made of the materials under study. In addition, the experiments showed that the effect of solid lubricant composition is most noticeable in the finish grinding stage compared to the roughing stage. The obtained results allowed us to propose the concept of “stage-by-stage application of different compositions of solid lubricants”, which implies the development of equipment that automates the process of lubricant application on the cutting surface of the grinding wheel.