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.