Surface Quality Evaluation of Various Metals After Grinding with Aluminum Oxide Grinding Wheel

Abstract

Different metals can respond differently when grinding using the same abrasive grinding wheel, especially in terms of surface quality. In this context, this work aims give a contribution to the metalworking industry by presenting the results of surface finishing after grinding the following metals: VP Atlas steel grade, Gray Cast Iron and two superalloys, Inconel 718 and Ti-6Al-4V. Tests were performed with the aluminum oxide grinding wheel and with following parameters: cutting speed of 37.6 m/s and workspeed of 10 m/min. Two values of depth of cut (15 μm and 30 μm) were tested. The surface roughness (Ra and Rz parameters) were analyzed and SEM images of the machined surfaces were taken and analyzed in order to identify the cutting mechanisms and provide better results discussion. The results showed that the surface roughness increased with the depth of cut; Ra values kept below 0.48 μm for all metals tested. Regarding the machined surface quality, some cracks were observed on the gray cast iron and Ti-6Al-4V surfaces, thereby indicating their relative lower grindability compared to VP Atlas steel under the investigated conditions. No visual thermal damage was observed in the machined surfaces of the samples.