A thermal characteristic analytic model considering cutting fluid thermal effect for gear grinding machine under load

The cutting fluid has a great influence on the thermal behavior of machine tools using flood cooling technique. But majority of machine tools thermal models are without considering the cutting fluid absorbing grinding heat and its effect on the thermal behavior. In this paper, a thermal-structure coupling finite element model considering the cutting fluid thermal influence was developed and a special measurement system was established, and a series of load experiments were carried out to validate this model. The simulation results and experimental data are in good agreement. The thermal behavior of the machine tool has been estimated using the proposed thermal models. The effect of coolant and machining position on thermal deformation was also analyzed. The results show that larger temperature gradient occurred in the X- and Z-directions of the whole machine because cutting fluid absorbing grinding heat and lead to ambient temperature rise of machine tool enclosed housing. The combined effect of the X- and Z-direction thermal deformation causes the column and the workpiece column obviously appear “backwards” distortion. The coolant channels of bed can be designed to be symmetrically distributed around the motorized spindle in the X-direction to further reduce the thermal deformation.