Big-and-dull or small-and-sharp: A comparison of specific energy, wheel wear, surface-generation mechanisms and surface characteristics when grinding with Al2O3 and CBN to achieve a given surface roughness

•For the same Ra, small & sharp give much lower specific energies than big & dull.•For the same Ra, small & sharp give slightly lower Rt values than big & dull.•Ground surfaces are Gaussian, for all grit sizes and dressing.•The normalized grit shear stress is the force per grit per unit grit area.•Larger, dull-dressed CBN requires frequent dressing.