A study on laser cleaning of A1(2)O(3)grinding wheels

A new method to clean clogged chips on A1(2)O(3) grinding wheel surfaces using ND:YAG laser and CO(2) laseris presented. The laser cleaning methodwas studied under both stationary and rotatory conditions. Effective cleaning can be achieved by the selection of adequate laser power, intensity, pulse length and focus offset. High laser power intensity and short irradiation duration is desirable for effective lasre cleaning of A1(2)O(3) wheels . Fusion and evaporation of clogged chips play an important role in grinding wheel laser cleaning. Heat accumulation in the grinding wheel may be a problem, which could be solved by introducing intermittant laser irradiation.