Experimental Investigation on Surface Integrity in Grinding Titanium Alloys with Small Vitrified CBN Wheel

Abstract

Titanium alloys have been widely used in aerospace and manufacturing industry because of their unique high strength-weight ratio, fracture resistance, and superior resistance to corrosion. In this paper, a series of experiments were carried out to research the surface integrity in grinding Titanium alloy TC11 on a milling centre with small vitrified bond CBN wheel. Nine runs involved in the orthogonal array are designed in accordance with three factors at three levels. The surface roughness Ra 0.72 um and Rz 4.73 um are obtained. Subsequently ANOVA is employed to analyze the relative importance of all control factors on surface roughness and the optimal combination of grinding parameters is gotten. The measurement of microhardness is also taken and the microhardness profile is then drawn. The metallographic analysis shows that a plastically deformed layer are formed beneath the ground surface at 0~80 um and no white layer is observed. Experimental results validate the feasibility of grinding Titanium alloys on a milling machine with a small vitrified CBN small wheel.