Ultrasonic assisted creep feed grinding of gamma titanium aluminide using conventional and superabrasive wheels

The paper details experimental work on ultrasonic assisted creep feed grinding (UACFG) of γ-TiAl intermetallic alloy: Ti–45Al–2Mn–2Nb + 0.8 vol.%TiB2XD (wt%), using conventional SiC and electroplated diamond wheels. The majority of forces recorded were lower when using vibration assistance compared to conventional CFG by up to ∼35%, while grinding-ratios for the superabrasive wheel were substantially higher by a factor of 2–7. A reduction in workpiece surface roughness by up to ∼10% together with fewer defects and marginally increased subsurface microhardness by a maximum of ∼8%, was obtained when employing ultrasonic assistance. With uprated process parameters however, the effects of UACFG were less apparent.