Feasibility study of minimum quantity lubrication assisted belt grinding of titanium alloys

Abstract

ABSTRACT In order to investigate the feasibility of minimum quantity lubrication technique in precision machining titanium alloys using abrasive belt grinding method, theoretical calculations and a series of detailed experimental studies were conducted in this paper. Material removal rate, grinding force, grinding temperature, abrasive belt wear, and machined surface quality were determined as the corresponding evaluation indicators. The signals of force and temperature in the grinding process were continuously collected by dynamometer and infrared thermal imager, respectively. The surface topography of the abrasive belt and workpiece were detected by a scanning electron microscope, and the machined surface roughness was measured by a surface profiler. The experimental results showed that the minimum quantity lubrication technology had obvious advantages in reducing abrasive wear and improving machined surface quality with suitable lubricating and grinding parameters. The observation result indicated that the compact microstructure and preferable fatigue strength can be obtained by using this assisted technique. Moreover, the addition of carbon nanotubes in grinding fluids was proven to be an effective way to further improve the effect of minimum quantity lubrication on assisted abrasive belt grinding of titanium alloys.