Vibratory Processing of Hard-to-Cut Aerospace Material

The Ti6Al4V alloys are used in many industries because it has excellent thermos-mechanical properties such as relatively lightweight, high strength, and corrosion resistance. However, grinding of titanium alloys is a challenge because it has low thermal conductivity and high chemical reactivity with most abrasives, and it is gummy and clogs the wheel pores rapidly, which leads to deterioration of the quality of the ground surfaces and increased wear of the grinding wheel. The microgeometry of the grinding wheel depends on the conditions of the dressing process and the type of the dressing tool and directly affects the quality of the resulting ground surfaces. The use of vibration in grinding is a trend in modern machining. This research paper aimed at optimizing the conditions of dressing and grinding of titanium alloy Ti6Al4V with the application of vibrations and a mist of vegetable oil. The obtained process performance shows the effect of the application of vibration on the grinding and dressing processes. The resulting roughness parameters of the ground surfaces and the alumina grinding wheel wear are presented.