Modeling and experimental study of surface generation in ultrasonic vibration-assisted grinding of Ti-6Al-4V micro-channels

The precision machining of Ti-6Al-4V (TC4) micro-channels remains a challenge due to the poor surface integrity and limited tool life. Ultrasonic vibration-assisted grinding (UVAG) is a promising technique that is being employed to enhance the achieved quality of Ti-6Al-4V micro-channels. Taking the wheel’s wear and the springback of the workpiece into consideration, a new kinematic simulation model for the 3D surface generation process is first developed, and the material removal mechanism under different ultrasonic parameters during UVAG of Ti-6Al-4V is investigated based on the calculated grit-cutting trajectory and ground surface topography. Comparing the simulated and experimental results, it is found that the built surface topography prediction model can successfully capture the obtained surface characteristics of Ti-6Al-4V by CG and UVAG process. The condition for intermittent machining in UVAG is obtained by establishing the mathematical relation between grinding and ultrasonic parameters. Therefore, the model developed in this paper can be applied to predict surface roughness and optimize the UVAG process of Ti-6Al-4V.