Experimental and computational simulation of one way extrusion honing process on Inconel-625 alloy

Abstract

Precise finishing of components is a major challenge as it is expensive and requires high expertise of the machinist. This draw back can be eliminated by commissioning extrusion honing which is an unconventional process and requires less skill of the machinist with minimum time. The process is governed by process parameters like abrasive concentration, grain size, extruding pressure, flow velocity and number of passes. The current work focuses on extrusion honing (EH) of Inconel-625 alloy and evaluated for surface finish characteristics Ra, Rz, Rt and Rpk and examined for surface texture of as bored and extrusion honed specimen. Also, CFD approach is applied on EH process to study the effect of process parameters on output response surface finish. In the present study experimentation and simulation of EH process on a cylindrical work-piece for a given dimension on Inconel-625 alloy has been executed. The simulation has been executed by using ansys fluent-2019 R3 and two phase mixture have been considered for the flow analysis by assuming discrete phase model. The fluid is a Newtonian fluid with laminar flow and without wall slip is considered. Dynamic pressure, strain rate and velocity have been determined for 30, 40 and 50 % of volume fraction and 36 abrasive mesh size by keeping all other process parameters as constant. Finally, a comparative assessment of response factor Ra is evaluated by both experimentation and by simulation for different number of passes and volume fraction of abrasives.