Grinding of materials with hard abrasives

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE CONTINUOUS SURFACING OF THE PRINCIPAL SURFACES OF FLAT SHEETS OF GLASS AND THE LIKE BY MEANS OF A PLURALITY OF GRINDING STATIONS ARRANGED IN A SEQUENTIAL SURFACING LINE, EACH GRINDING STATION INCLUDING A ROTARY GRINDING WHEEL WITH A FLAT ANNULAR GRINDING FACE WITH ABRASIVE DIAMOND PARTICLES BONDED THEREIN OF RESPECTIVE PARTICLE SIZE AND CONCENTRATION ADAPTED TO HAVE AT LEAST A MAJOR PORTION THEREOF IN OVERLYING AND SUBSTANTIALLY COPLANAR RELATION TO THE PRINCIPAL SURFACES OF THE FLAT SHEETS, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FEEDING THE FLAT SHEETS AT A PREDETERMINED RATE SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH EACH OF THE GRINDING STATIONS TO EFFECT SURFACING OF THE PRINCIPAL SURFACE THEREOF, RESPECTIVELY CONTROLLING THE DOWN-FEED OF THE ANNULAR GRINDING FACE OF THE GRINDING WHEEL IN EACH OF THE STATIONS UPON THE PRINCIPAL SURFACE OF THE SHEET PASSING THRERTHROUGH TO PRODUCE RESPECTIVE PREDETERMINED GLASS REMOVAL WITHOUT APPLICATION OF UNDUE STRESS TO THE SHEET BEING SURFACED, AND SUPPLYING AT EACH STATION A COOLANT FOR INTROMISSIVE FLOW INTERMEDIATE THE RESPECTIVE ANNULAR GRINDING FACE AND THE PRINCIPAL SURFACE OF THE SHEET, THE RESPECTIVE PARTICLE SIZES AND CONCENTRATIONS OF ABRASIVE DIAMOND PARTICLES IN THE GRINDING WHEELS AT DIFFERENT SUCCESSIVE ONE OF THE PLURALITY OF GRINDING STATIONS BEING IN PROGRESSIVELY DECREASILNG RELATION.