Based on the clustering effect of shear-thickening fluids (STFs), a high-shear low-pressure flexible grinding wheel has been developed. In order to explore the material removal mechanism, the coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian (CEL) method is adopted to simulate the novel grinding process. The simulation results show that particle clustering effects do occur at the tangential and bottom positions of the micro-convex peak when it instantaneously strikes the workpiece surface. The particle clusters drive the harder abrasive particles to resist the strong interactions of micro-convex peaks. The micro-convex peaks are removed due to the cutting effect of the harder abrasive particles. Compared with traditional grinding, the ratio of tangential force to normal force for the high-shear low-pressure flexible grinding wheel is improved. The various trends in force ratio are consistent with the experimental results, which verifies the effectiveness of high-shear low-pressure grinding.
Keywords: cluster effect; flexible grinding; high-shear low-pressure; shear thickening fluid.