Titanium and its alloys possess unique and favourable qualities like a high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance and a high melting point. Due to these material properties, titanium is widely used for applications in lightweight technology (e.g. aerospace). A commonly used manufacturing process for titanium components is machining, which is often concluded by a grinding process in order to generate a high surface quality. However, machining and especially grinding of titanium is extremely difficult due to its high oxygen affinity and low thermal conductivity. This leads to high temperatures and distinct oxidation processes on the workpiece surface during grinding, which affects the tool life as well as the quality of the workpiece. In order to investigate the grinding process, investigations under air and oxygen-free conditions are carried out. The oxygen-free atmosphere, which is adequate to an extremely high vacuum (XHV) is generated within a gastight housing. This enables the investigation of the influence of oxygen on the wear behaviour of metal bonded grinding tools. The simultaneous measurement of process forces is supporting these investigations.