I-Corps: Delivery of coherent coolant jet and nozzle manufacturing for grinding technology

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the potential development of a methodology that could mitigate the spread of oil-based coolant and the formation of oil mist that represents a safety hazard through inhalation or as a fire hazard. The proposed technology may produce an adjustable and varied methodology for cooling for use in the grinding industry.

The technology may be of interest to industries that experience inner diameter grinding, where the material is removed from a part to finish its inner surface. The link between the manufacturing of the nozzle, design of conditioner (device for reduction of turbulence within coolant liquid), and jet spread is important for other material processing technologies including forming and cutting technologies.

The efficient cooling could reduce heat pollution of the environment, which is substantial in the grinding industry.

This I-Corps project is based on the development of a multi-scale and multi-phase fluid dynamics computational model of coolant jet and the potential production of hardware including a nozzle and conditioner for a long coherent jet. The proposed technology may be able to predict the disintegration of a coherent jet and improve the cooling efficiency by optimizing nozzle and conditioner settings for varying grinding situations.

If overheating is not managed properly during grinding, thermal damage may occur including tensile residual stresses, discoloration, softening, re-hardening, and cracks. The proposed technology could place the nozzle in direct proximity to grinding situations, and the evaluation of jet coherence by the proposed technology could also assist in the prediction of the need for replacement of the nozzle, which can be timely manufactured using 3D printing.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.