The thermal boundary condition around the workpiece surface is one of important factors to analyze the thermal deformation of a workpiece, which is in close relation to the machining, accuracy of grinding. The heat dissipation from the workpiece surface which is influenced by the flow pattern, may govern this thermal boundary condition. In consequence, it is necessary to clarify the convection heat transfer coefficient and the flow pattern of air and/or grinding fluid around surroundings of a rotating grinding wheel and of a workpiece. Here experiments were carried out in a surface grinding process to measure the flow velocity, wall pressure and local heat transfer by changing the porosity of the grinding wheel. The air blowing out from the grinding wheel which is effected by the porosity may be considered to have large influences on the local heat transfer coefficient, which is found to be neither symmetric nor uniform over the workpiece surface.