Grinding performance evaluation of porous composite-bonded CBN wheels for Inconel 718

For high-efficiency grinding of difficult-to-cut materials such as titanium and nickel alloys, a high porosity is expected and also a sufficient mechanical strength to satisfy the function.However, the porosity increase is a disadvantage to the mechanical strength. As a promising pore forming agent, alumina bubbles are firstly induced into the abrasive layer to fabricate porous cubic boron nitride（CBN） wheels. When the wheel porosity reaches 45%, the bending strength is still high up to 50 MPa with modified orderly pore distribution. A porous CBN wheel was fabricated with a total porosity around 30%. The grinding performance of the porous composite-bonded CBN wheel was evaluated in terms of specific force, specific grinding energy, and grinding temperature, which were better than those of the vitrified one under the same grinding conditions. Compared to the vitrified CBN wheel, clear straight cutting grooves and less chip adhesion are observed on the ground surface and there is also no extensive loading on the wheel surface after grinding.     

Grinding behavior and surface appearance of（TiC_p＋ TiB_w）/Ti-6Al-4V titanium matrix composites

（TiCp＋ TiBw）/Ti-6Al-4V titanium matrix composites（PTMCs） have broad application prospects in the aviation and nuclear field. However, it is a typical difficult-to-cut material due to high hardness of the reinforcements, high strength and low thermal conductivity of Ti-6Al-4V alloy matrix. Grinding experiments with vitrified CBN wheels were conducted to analyze comparatively the grinding performance of PTMCs and Ti-6Al-4V alloy. Grinding force and force ratios, specific grinding energy, grinding temperature, surface roughness, ground surface appearance were discussed. The results show that the normal grinding force and the force ratios of PTMCs are much larger than that of Ti-6Al-4V alloy. Low depth of cut and high workpiece speed are generally beneficial to achieve the precision ground surface for PTMCs. The hard reinforcements of PTMCs are mainly removed in the ductile mode during grinding. However, the removal phenomenon of the reinforcements due to brittle fracture still exists, which contributes to the lower specific grinding energy and grinding temperature of PTMCs than Ti-6Al-4V alloy.     

Surface integrity of GH4169 affected by cantilever finish grinding and the application in aero-engine blades

GH4169 is the main material for aero-engine blades and integrated blisks. Because GH4169 has a poor milling performance, the profile precision and surface integrity of blades and integrated blisks are difficult to be met by utilizing the conventional milling process, which directly influence the global performance and reliability of aero-engines. Through grinding experiments on parameters and surface integrity optimization, the helical cantilever grinding process utilizing a300# CBN RB wheel is presented and applied in finish machining of GH4169 blades. The profile errors of the blade surface are within ±0.01 mm, the roughness is less than 0.4 lm, the residual compressive stresses and the hardening rate are appropriate, there are no phenomena of burr and smearing with the grinding chips, and the leading/trailing edge can be smoothly connected with the suction/pressure surface. All the experimental results indicate that this grinding process is greatly suitable for the profile finish machining of GH4169 blades.     

Design and experimental study of a micro-groove grinding wheel with spray cooling effect

The effectiveness of grinding fluid supply has a crucial impact on grinding quality and efficiency in high speed grinding. In order to improve the cooling and lubrication, through in-depth research of self-inhaling internal cooling method and intermittent grinding mechanism, a new spray cooling method used in high speed grinding is proposed. By referring to the structure of bowl- shaped dispersion disk, the grinding wheel matrix with atomization ability is designed; through studying heat transfer of droplet collision and the influence of micro-groove on the boiling heat transfer, grinding segment with micro-groove is designed to enhance the heat flux of coolant and achieve maximum heat transfer between droplets and grinding contact zone. High-speed grinding experiments on GH4169 with the developed grinding wheel are carried out. The results show that with the micro-groove grinding wheel just 5.4% of pump outlet flow rate and 0.5% of spindle energy is needed to reduce the grinding temperature to 200℃, which means the developed grinding wheel makes cooling high efficient and low energy consuming.     

Suppression of Surface Burn in Grinding of Titanium Alloy TC4 Using a Self-inhaling Internal Cooling Wheel

Based on analysis of surface average temperature and burn degree, this article obtains the threshold temperature of surface burn in grinding titanium alloy with cup wheels. Meanwhile, the impact of the burn degree on the metallographic structure of workpiece surface and metallurgical phase transformations is investigated. In order to reduce the grinding temperature and improve the grinding efficiency, a self-inhaling structure cup segmented wheel is developed to generate internal cooling effect. The internal cooling technology is compared with traditional cooling conditions in the grinding experiments on TC4 (Ti-6Al-4V). The results indicate that the self-inhaling internal cooling wheel can reduce the grinding surface temperature by 30% or more, and the grinding efficiency doubles. Utilizing water-based semi-synthetic coolant, the segmented wheel with the self-inhaling structure can further reduce the grinding temperature by about 50%.     

Influences of milling and grinding on machined surface roughness and fatigue behavior of GH4169 superalloy workpieces

Surface topography of superalloy GH4169 workpieces machined by milling and grinding is different significantly. Meanwhile, surface roughness, as one of the main indicators of machined surface integrity, has a great influence on the fatigue behavior of workpieces. Based on analyzing the formation mechanism and characteristics of surface roughness utilizing different machining processes and parameters, the machined surface roughness curve can be decoupled into two parts utilizing frequency spectrum analysis, which are kinematic surface roughness curve and stochastic surface roughness curve. The kinematic surface roughness curve is influenced by machining process,parameters, geometry of the cutting tool or wheel, the maximum height of which is expressed as R'_z.By subtracting the kinematic part from the measurement curve, the stochastic surface roughness curve and its maximum height R'_zcan be obtained, which is influenced by the defects of cutting tool edge or abrasive grains, built-up edges(BUE), cracks, high frequency vibration and so on. On the other hand, the results of decoupling analysis of surface roughness curves indicate that Raand Rz values of milling GH4169 are 2–5 times and 1–3 times as high as those of grinding, while R'_zvalue of milling is 13.85%–37.7% as high as that of grinding. According to the results of fatigue life tests of specimens machined by milling and grinding, it can be concluded that fatigue behavior of GH4169 decreases with the increase of R'_zmonotonically, even utilizing different machining processes.     

Tribological evaluation of surface modified H13 tool steel in warm forming of Ti–6Al–4V titanium alloy sheet

The H13 hot-working tool steel is widely used as die material in the warm forming of Ti–6Al–4V titanium alloy sheet. However, under the heating condition, severe friction and lubricating conditions between the H13 tools and Ti–6Al–4V titanium alloy sheet would cause difficulty in guaranteeing forming quality. Surface modification may be used to control the level of friction force, reduce the friction wear and extend the service life of dies. In this paper, four surface modification methods(chromium plating, TiAlN coating, surface polishing and nitriding treatment)were applied to the H13 surfaces. Taking the coefficient of friction(CoF) and the wear degree as evaluation indicators, the high-temperature tribological behavior of the surface modified H13 steel was experimentally investigated under different tribological conditions. The results of this study indicate that the tribological properties of the TiAlN coating under dry friction condition are better than the others for a wide range of temperature(from room temperature to 500 C), while there is little difference of tribological properties between different surface modifications under graphite lubricated condition, and the variation law of CoF with temperature under graphite lubricated is opposite to that under the dry friction.     

Electrolytic Passivation of Nitinol Shape Memory Alloy in Different Electrolytes

The corrosion behavior of the nitinol alloy was studied in various corrosion media of different Cl–ion concentrations. The results demonstrate that the Cl–ion concentration has significant influences on the corrosion behavior of the nitinol alloy. In order to enhance the corrosion resistance, protective films were generated on the surface of the nitinol alloy by means of the electrochemical passivation method, for which five different electrolytic solutions were investigated. The surface analysis indicates full growth of all samples pas-sivated in the different electrolytic solutions with layers, however, showing different morphological features. Without any defects like micro-cracks and pores, the surface of the samples passivated in the molybdate solution turns out smoother and denser than those pas-sivated in other solutions. It is shown that the electro-chemical passivation will reduce Ni content but increase Ti content in the surface, reaching the Mole ratio of Ti:Ni=9.01:1 on the outermost surface. Potentiodynamic polarization test demonstrates that the samples electrochemically passivated in the molybdate solution present a significant increase in breakdown potential due to titanium enrichment on the outermost surface.     

Tool Life and Surface Integrity in High-speed Milling of Titanium Alloy TA15 with PCD/PCBN Tools

Titanium alloys are widely used in aeronautics that demand a good combination of high strength, good corrosion resistance and low mass. The mechanical properties lead to challenges in machining operations such as high process temperature as well as rapidly increasing tool wear. The conventional tool materials are not able to maintain their hardness and other mechanical properties at higher cutting temperatures encountered in high speed machining. In this work, the new material tools, which are polycrystalline diamond (PCD) and polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) tools, are used in high-speed milling of Ti-6.5Al-2Zr-1Mo-1V (TA15) alloy. The performance and wear mechanism of the tools are investigated. Compared to PCBN tool, PCD tool has a much longer tool life, especially at higher cutting speeds. Analyses based on the SEM and EDX suggest that attrition, adhesion and diffusion are the main wear mechanisms of PCD and PCBN tools in high-speed milling of TA15. Oxidation wear is also observed at PCBN tool/workpiece interface. Roughness, defects, micro-hardness and microstructure of the machined surface are investigated. The recorded surface roughness values with PCD/PCBN tools are bellow 0.3 μm at initial and steady cutting stage. Micro-hardness analysis shows that the machined surface hardening depth with PCD and PCBN tools is small. There is no evidence of sub-surface defects with PCD and PCBN tools. It is concluded that for TA15 alloy, high-speed milling can be carried out with PCD/PCBN tools.     

A study of instability in a miniature flying-wing aircraft in high-speed taxi

This study investigates an instability that was observed during high-speed taxi tests of an experimental flying-wing aircraft.In order to resolve the reason of instability and probable solution of it,the instability was reproduced in simulations.An analysis revealed the unique stability characteristics of this aircraft.This aircraft has a rigid connection between the nose wheel steering mechanism and an electric servo,which is different from aircraft with a conventional tricycle landing gear system.The analysis based on simulation results suggests that there are two reasons for the instability.The first reason is a reversal of the lateral velocity of the nose wheel.The second reason is that the moment about the center of gravity created by the lateral friction force from the nose wheel is larger than that from the lateral friction force from the main wheels.These problems were corrected by changing the ground pitch angle.Simulations show that reducing the ground pitch angle can eliminate the instability in high-speed taxi.     

Review on monolayer CBN superabrasive wheels for grinding metallic materials

A state-of-the-art review on monolayer electroplated and brazed cubic boron nitride (CBN) superabrasive wheels for grinding metallic materials has been provided in this article. The fabrication techniques and mechanisms of the monolayer CBN wheels are discussed. Grain distri-bution, wheel dressing, wear behavior, and wheel performance are analyzed in detail. Sample appli-cations of monolayer CBN wheel for grinding steels, titanium alloys, and nickel-based superalloys are also provided. Finally, this article highlights opportunities for further investigation of mono-layer CBN grinding wheels.     

Investigation on induction brazing of profiled cBN wheel for grinding of Ti-6Al-4V

Profiled monolayer cBN wheel was induction brazed for grinding of titanium dovetail slot in this study. Aimed at acquiring a uniform temperature distribution along the profiled surface and reducing the thermal deformation of the brazed wheel, a finite element model was established to investigate the temperature uniformity during induction brazing. A suitable induction coil and the related working parameters were designed and chosen based on the simulation results. Ag-Cu-Ti alloy and cBN grains were applied in the induction brazing experiment. The results showed geometric deformation of the brazed wheel was no more than 0.01 mm and chemical reaction layer were found on the brazed joint interface. Further validation tests were carried out by grinding of Ti-6Al-4V alloy. Compared to the electroplated wheel, the brazed wheel showed better performance such as low specific grinding energy and good ground quality in grinding of Ti-6Al-4V alloy. Abrasion wear was found to be the main failure mode for the induction brazed wheel, while adhesion and grains pull-out were the main failure mode for the electroplated wheel.     

电镀立方氮化硼砂轮在超深小孔磨削中的应用

电镀立方氮化硼砂轮在高精度、低表面粗糙度值的超深小孔磨削中,可大幅提高砂轮轴刚性,从而提高加工质量和生产效率。     

Grindability and Surface Integrity of Cast Nickel-based Superalloy in Creep Feed Grinding with Brazed CBN Abrasive Wheels

The technique of creep feed grinding is most suitable for geometrical shaping, and therefore has been expected to improve effectively material removal rate and surface quality of components with complex profile. This article studies experimentally the effects of process parameters (i.e. wheel speed, workpiece speed and depth of cut) on the grindability and surface integrity of cast nickel-based superalloys, i.e. K424, during creep feed grinding with brazed cubic boron nitride (CBN) abrasive wheels. Some important factors, such as grinding force and temperature, specific grinding energy, size stability, surface topography, microhardness and microstructure alteration of the sub-surface, residual stresses, are investigated in detail. The results show that during creep feed grinding with brazed CBN wheels, low grinding temperature at about 100 °C is obtained though the specific grinding energy of nickel-based superalloys is high up to 200-300 J/mm³. A combination of wheel speed 22.5 m/s, workpiece speed 0.1 m/min, depth of cut 0.2 mm accomplishes the straight grooves with the expected dimensional accuracy. Moreover, the compressive residual stresses are formed in the burn-free and crack-free ground surface.     

Performance evaluation of creep feed grinding of γ-TiAl intermetallics with electroplated diamond wheels

This paper evaluates the performance of creep feed grinding γ-TiAl intermetallic (Ti-45Al-2Mn-2Nb) using electroplated diamond wheels. Firstly, a comparative analysis with the grinding results by using electroplated CBN wheels was conducted, mainly involving abrasive wheel wear behavior and maximum material removal rate below surface burn limit. It was found that the diamond wheel would produce much better grinding results including lower wheel wear rate and higher maximum material removal rate. Then the surface integrity obtained at different level of material removal rate was characterized with the utilization of the diamond wheel. The poor ductility of this γ-TiAl intermetallic material was found to have a marginal effect on the surface integrity, as no severe surface defects such as material pullout were generated during the stable wheel wear stage. For the involved operating parameters, a deformation layer was produced with ∼10 μm or more in thickness depending on the material removal rate used. Meanwhile, a work-hardened layer extending to more than 100 μm was produced with a maximum microhardness of above 520 HV_0.05 (bulk value 360 HV_0.05). The residual stress remained compressive, with a value of above −100 MPa and even up to −500 MPa for an elevated material removal rate. Shearing chip was the main chip type, indicating good wheel sharpness in the grinding process.     

Prediction on grinding force during grinding powder metallurgy nickel-based superalloy FGH96 with electroplated CBN abrasive wheel

In this article, a grinding force model, which is on the basis of cutting process of single abrasive grains combined with the method of theoretical derivation and empirical formula by analyzing the formation mechanism of grinding force, was established. Three key factors have been taken into accounts in this model, such as the contact friction force between abrasive grains and materials, the plastic deformation of material in the process of abrasive plowing, and the shear strain effect of material during the process of cutting chips formation. The model was finally validated by the orthogonal grinding experiment of powder metallurgy nickel-based superalloy FGH96 by using the electroplated CBN abrasive wheel. Grinding force values of prediction and experiment were in good consistency. The errors of tangential grinding force and normal grinding force were 9.8% and 13.6%, respectively. The contributions of sliding force, plowing force and chip formation force were also analyzed. In addition, the tangential forces of sliding, plowing and chip formation are 14%, 19% and 11% of the normal forces on average, respectively. The pro-posed grinding force model is not only in favor of optimizing the grinding parameters and improving grinding efficiency, but also contributes to study some other grinding subjects (e.g. abrasive wheel wear, grinding heat, residual stress).     

Developing a novel radial ultrasonic vibration-assisted grinding device and evaluating its performance in machining PTMCs

Particle-reinforcing titanium matrix composites(PTMCs) exhibit the sharp raising applications in modern industries owing to its extraordinary physical and mechanical properties. However, the poor grindability and unstable grinding processes due to the existence of TiC particles and TiB short fibres inside PTMCs, leading to the sudden grinding burn and low material removal rate.In this work, a novel radial ultrasonic vibration-assisted grinding(RUVAG) device with a special cross structure was dev...     

新型刚玉砂轮磨削GH4169镍基高温合金的性能评价研究

镍基高温合金是航空发动机部件的常用材料,其磨削加工存在工具损耗严重、寿命短等难题。针对3种新研制的刚玉砂轮(分别为粒度60#的微晶和单晶混合磨料砂轮、粒度60#的单晶刚玉砂轮,以及粒度70#的单晶刚玉砂轮),开展了GH4169镍基高温合金材料的磨削试验,从磨削力、磨削温度、砂轮磨损以及表面粗糙度等方面对3种砂轮的磨削性能进行了评价。结果表明,3种砂轮磨削GH4169材料在砂轮磨损和表面粗糙度方面未表现出明显差异,而通过对磨削力和磨削温度的综合评价发现粒度60#的单晶刚玉砂轮的磨削性能更优。3种砂轮磨削GH4169材料的磨削比在0.5~3之间。在正常磨削条件下,3种砂轮的磨削表面粗糙度Ra小于0.4μm。同时发现,砂轮磨损(主要包括磨粒的破碎和脱落)是造成磨削表面缺陷形成的重要原因。