Surface layer properties of low-alloy high-speed steel after grinding

Investigations of the surface layer characteristics of selected kinds of low-alloy high-speed steel after grinding were carried out. They were carried out on the flat-surface grinder with a 95A24K grinding wheel without cooling. The influence of grinding parameters was defined especially for: the quantity of secondary austenite, surface roughness, microhardness and grinding efficiency with a large range of grinding parameters: grinding depth 0.005–0.035 mm, lengthwise feed 2–6 m/min, without a cross-feed on the whole width of the sample. It was found that improvement of grinding properties of low-alloy high-speed steels is possible by efficient selection of their chemical composition. The value of the grinding efficiency is conditioned by grinding forces, whose value has an impact on the grinding temperature. To ensure high quality of the tool surface layer (i.e. a smaller amount of secondary austenite, lack of wheel burn and micro-cracks) in the case of sharpening of tools made of low-alloy high-speed steel, the grinding temperature should be as low as possible.