DOI: 10.18503/1995-2732-2026-24-2-127-137
Abstract
Creep-feed grinding is widely used in the manufacture of critical components made of heat-resistant aerospace materials; however, the process is accompanied by intensive adhesion-cohesion phenomena and considerable heat generation in the grinding zone. For titanium alloys possessing high adhesive affinity, the problems of grinding wheel loading and surface contamination by abrasive tool wear products are particularly important, since these phenomena may adversely affect the service performance of manufactured components. It is well known that the efficiency of creep-feed grinding of titanium alloys is determined by the selection of cutting conditions and grinding wheel characteristics. Nevertheless, the influence of these processing parameters on the intensity of adhesion-cohesion interactions and the condition of the machined surface topography remains insufficiently investigated. This paper presents the results of an investigation into the surface condition of the Ti6Al4V titanium alloy after creep-feed grinding. The experimental results were obtained using a scanning electron and ion microscope. The investigations were carried out taking into account the stages of surface layer formation, the influence of grinding depth, and the characteristics of silicon carbide abrasive tool. It was established that the condition of the Ti6Al4V alloy is governed by the variations in the instantaneous cutting ability and changes along the length of the machined surface. During the stage of constant contact arc length, the maximum intensity of adhesive interaction and the transfer of adhered metal and crystalline particles onto the workpiece surface were observed. Throughout the exit stage, the intensity of these processes gradually decreased. The use of a grinding wheel with higher hardness and finer abrasive grain size was found to reduce the amount of adhered metal at grinding depths of 1.5-2.0 mm. An increase in grinding depth from 1.5 to 2.0 mm resulted in a higher concentration of foreign particles on the machined surface. The phenomenon of impregnation of the Ti6Al4V alloy surface by wear products originating from the silicon carbide grinding wheel during creep-feed grinding was experimentally confirmed.
Keywords
Ti6Al4V alloy, silicon carbide grinding wheel, scanning electron and ion microscope, grinding wheel characteristics, influence of grinding depth, surface condition analysis.
For citation
Nosenko V.A., Kremenetsky L.L., Klentsova I.V. Study of the Surface Condition of a Titanium Alloy During Creep-Feed Grinding under Different Processing Conditions. Vestnik Magnitogorskogo Gosudarstvennogo Tekhnicheskogo Universiteta im. G.I. Nosova [Vestnik of Nosov Magnitogorsk State Technical University]. 2026, vol. 24, no. 21, pp. 127-137. https://doi.org/10.18503/1995-2732-2026-24-2-127-137
1. Kishore K., Sinha M.K., Singh A.A comprehensive review on the grinding process: Advancements, applications and challenges. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science. 2022;236(22):10923-10952.
2. Starkov V.K. Efficiency of cubic boron nitride tools in profile creep-feed grinding of heat-resistant nickel alloy parts. Vestnik mashinostroeniya [Vestnik of Mechanical Engineering]. 2023;(6):520-528. (In Russ.)
3. Uddin M., Santifoller R., Hall C., Schlaefer T. Effect of combined grinding-burnishing process on surface integrity, tribological, and corrosion performance of laser-clad stellite 21 alloys. Advanced Engineering Materials. 2022;25(8):202201332.
4. Song Y., Shi K., He Z. Investigation of grindability and surface integrity in creep feed grinding of GH738 alloy using different grinding wheels. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology. 2022;123(3):4153-4169.
5. Jin T., Ma X., Hu H., Qu M., Shang Z. Inverse approach to derive the distribution of convection heat transfer coefficient of grinding fluid within grinding zone for deep grinding of nickel based super alloy. Journal of Mechanical Engineering. 2022;58(15):55-62.
6. Chen T., Wang X., Zhao B., Ding W., Xu J. Surface integrity evolution during creep feed profile grinding of γ-TiAl blade tenon. Chinese Journal of Aeronautics. 2024;37(8):496-512.
7. Chen T., Miao Q., Miong X., Xi X., Zhao B., Pu C., Ding W. On the residual stresses of turbine blade root of γ-TiAl intermetallic alloys induced by non-steady-state creep feed profile grinding. Journal of Manufacturing Processes. 2022;82(2):800-817.
8. Jackson M.J., Ruxton V. Creep-feed grinding wheel development for safely grinding aerospace alloys. Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance. 2021;30(4):2220-2228.
9. Qing M., Wenfeng D., Yulong G., Jiuhua X. Comparative investigation on wear behavior of brown alumina and microcrystalline alumina abrasive wheels during creep feed grinding of different nickel-based superalloys. Wear. 2019;426:1624-1634.
10. Ronoh K., Mwema F., Dabees S., Sobola D. Advances in sustainable grinding of different types of the titanium biomaterials for medical applications: A review. Biomedical Engineering Advances. 2022;4:100047.
11. Vitor M.A., Rosemar D.S., Alisson M., Rogério G., Anselmo D., Rodolfo O. Surface grinding of Ti-6Al-4V alloy with SiC abrasive wheel at various cutting conditions. Procedia Manufacturing. 2017;10:590-600.
12. Rakurty S., Manigandan K., Bowser B. Grinding EB-PBF based additive manufactured Ti6Al4V: a surface integrity study. Advances in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. 2023;7:1-9.
13. Plankovskii S.I., Golovin I.I., Sirenko F.F. Analysis of existing methods for cleaning turbine blade surfaces in gas turbine engines. Aviatsionno-kosmicheskaya tekhnika i tekhnologiya [Aerospace Engineering and Technology]. 2013;(6):8-14. (In Russ.)
14. Nosenko S.V., Nosenko V.A., Koryazhkin A.A. The effect of the operating speed and wheel characteristics on the surface quality at creep-feed grinding titanium alloys. Solid State Phenomena. 2018;284:369-374.
15. Nosenko S.V., Nosenko V.A., Koryazhkin A.A. et al. Influence of creep-feed grinding speed on the morphology and chemical composition of titanium alloy surface. Izvestiya vysshikh uchebnykh zavedenii. Mashinostroenie [Proceedings of higher educational institutions. Mechanical Engineering]. 2018;(3):62-72. (In Russ.)
16. Babu V., Setti D. Grindability of additively manufactured Inconel 718. Journal of Manufacturing Processes. 2024;112:238-247.
17. Hadad M., Attarsharghi S., Abyaneh M.D., Narimani P. Exploring new parameters to advance surface roughness prediction in grinding processes for the enhancement of automated machining. Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing. 2024;8(1):41.
18. Yin Y., Chen M. Analysis of grindability and surface integrity in creep-feed grinding of high-strength steels. Materials. 2024;17(8):1784.
19. Starkov V.K. Shlifovanie vysokoporistymi krugami [Grinding with highly porous wheels]. Moscow: Mashinostroenie, 2007, 688 p. (In Russ.)
20. Barmouz M., Azarhoushang B. Grinding performance evaluation of additively manufactured vitrified bond grinding wheel: tool wear, grinding force, surface roughness, and surface topography analysis. International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing-Green Technology. 2024;12:1385-1400.
21. Guo Y., Chen B., Liu Z., Sun S. Research progress of abrasive groups ordered grinding wheels. Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering. 2025;38:53.
22. Nosenko S.V., Nosenko V.A., Zotova S.A. Etapy glubinnogo shlifovaniya [Stages of creep-feed grinding]. Volzhskii: Volga Polytechnic Institute (branch) VolgSTU Publishing House, 2021, 166 p. (In Russ.)
23. Nosenko V.A., Nosenko S.V. Mathematical models of tool life and cutting ability for various stages of surface creep-feed grinding of horizontal surfaces with a straight-profile wheel. Problemy mashinostroeniya i nadezhnosti mashin [Journal of machinery manufacture and reliability]. 2010;(4):92-98. (In Russ.)
24. Nosenko V.A., Nosenko S.V. Up- and down-creep-feed grinding of titanium alloy with continuous wheel dressing. Vestnik mashinostroeniya [Vestnik of Mechanical Engineering]. 2010;(11):57-61. (In Russ.)
25. Nosenko V.A., Avilov A.V. Regularities of force variation in surface creep-feed grinding. Spravochnik. Inzhenernyi zhurnal [Handbook. An Engineering Journal]. 2009;(7):10-19. (In Russ.)
26. Nosenko V.A., Serdyukov N.D., Fetisov A.V. Transfer of abrasive tool material onto the titanium alloy surface during various grinding stages using a silicon carbide wheel. Problemy mashinostroeniya i nadezhnosti mashin [Journal of machinery manufacture and reliability]. 2022;(1):68-77. (In Russ.)
27. Nosenko V.A., Serdyukov N.D., Kuznetsov S.P. et al. Intensity of titanium alloy impregnation by wear products of a silicon carbide tool during grinding. Problemy mashinostroeniya i nadezhnosti mashin [Journal of machinery manufacture and reliability]. 2025;(1):108-117. (In Russ.)