The grinding performance of a grinding wheel depends not only on its structural characteristics, such as abrasive grain size, 

hardness, and so on, but also on its surface topography. This refers to the instantaneous state of the abrasive cutting edges on the wheel surface, 

also known as transient characteristics. These characteristics include the distribution of the abrasive cutting edges, grain wear, breakage, 

and shedding, as well as chip space blockage. These transient characteristics change over time during the grinding process, 

making it essential to assess the wheel's topography. To achieve optimal grinding performance, 

the wheel's structural and topographical characteristics must be optimally matched according to the specific grinding conditions, 

ensuring optimal grinding performance.

Evaluation of Grinding Wheel Topography

Geometric Parameters of the Abrasive Cutting Edge: The grinding wheel surface has numerous randomly distributed abrasive cutting edges of varying sizes. 

To describe the geometric characteristics of the abrasive cutting edges, we define these parameters: 

the rake angle gg, the relief angle ag, and the blunt radius rb. 

Clearly, the shape and size of the abrasive grains and their orientation on the grinding wheel surface determine the geometric parameters of the cutting edge, 

which in turn influences the cutting performance of the cutting edge.

The shape of the abrasive cutting edge is extremely irregular. For the convenience of analysis, the abrasive shape can be idealized and simplified into the following categories:

(1) Conical or pyramidal; this shape is easily formed during rough dressing or when the grinding wheel hardness is low;

(2) Spherical; the fillet radius is 10~20um;

(3) Conical with rounded tip: the result of abrasive scratches. When the abrasive cutting depth is large, its cutting action is close to a conical shape; 

when the cutting depth is small, the cutting action is close to a spherical shape;

(4) Flat-topped cone: the shape of the abrasive top being worn. This shape is easily formed when the grinding wheel hard dressing lead is small.

From the perspective of the sharpness of the abrasive cutting edge, 

the cone or pyramidal shape (1) and the rounded tip cone (3) are close to the actual abrasive rod shape and have better sharpness; 

the spherical shape (2) and the flat-top cone (4) are close to the actual abrasive block shape and the wear rod shape, respectively, and have poor sharpness. 

The smaller the abrasive grain size and the smaller the cutting edge angle (eg), the sharper the abrasive grains. 

The orientation and position of the abrasive grains on the grinding wheel working surface are randomly distributed. From a statistical point of view, 

the orientation of the abrasive grains has little effect on the rake angle of the ground edge. The rake angle of the ground edge is primarily determined by its tip angle (eg). 

Generally, the smaller the tip angle (eQ), the larger the rake angle (gg).