Abrasive inserts for grinding bimetallic components

Abstract

A method and apparatus for machining flat or planarizing a fire deck of a bimetallic engine block includes providing a grinding wheel by disposing a series of abrasive inserts at spaced locations along a circumference of a circular head, so that during rotation of the head, the inserts form a notional annular grinding ring. The head is preferably a conventional milling head and the inserts are sized and shaped to fit within receptacles adapted to receive conventional milling inserts. In an alternate embodiment, a second series of abrasive inserts may be disposed radially inward of the first series of inserts to form an inner notional annular grinding ring disposed concentrically with the outer ring. Inner and outer inserts preferably comprise a single layer of diamond abrasive brazed onto a metallic substrate. Fabrication of the inserts with a single layer of abrasive brazed onto a substantially planar grinding face may enable a conventional milling head and milling machine to grind bimetallic workpieces without the need for the guarding typically required for bonded abrasive grinding wheels.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.