Influence of Fit Clearance and Tightening Torque on Contact Characteristics of Spindle–Grinding Wheel Flange Interface

The spindle and grinding wheel flange (GWF) adopt double positioning of a tapered surface and end face. Due to the processing quality, the contact state of the spindle–GWF interface cannot be determined accurately. Based on the theory of finite element and the Yoshimura integral method, an analysis method for the contact stiffness of the spindle–GWF interface was established. In addition, the effects of the spindle–GWF interface’s original clearance and tightening torque on the contact pressure, final contact state and contact stiffness of the spindle–GWF interface were investigated and experimentally verified. It was found that the final contact state of the spindle–GWF changed when the tightening torque increased, especially when the original contact state was tapered contact, and the final contact state changed significantly after assembly. The contact pressure and contact stiffness of the spindle–GWF interface are increased by increasing the tightening torque. The radial stiffness is more affected by the end clearance variation compared to the axial and angular stiffness. When the original contact state is tapered contact, the radial stiffness of the interface is at maximum in three contact states. This research provides theoretical guidance for GWF assembly on gear-grinding machines