Grindability of Ti alloys

The grindability of Ti-based alloys was analyzed by considering the fracture behavior of individual alloys in response to the stress field of a grinding wheel. First, the stress field under a grinding wheel was Computed by treating the grinding wheel as a cylindrical disk with a flat region acting on a flat substrate. The initiation and propagation of inicrocracks in the substrate was then examined on the basis of the contact stress field and one of two fracture criteria: (1) a critical stress criterion for the onset of cleavage crack initiation, and (2) a critical stress intensity factor criterion for the initiation and propagation of shear cracks. Grindability was computed as a function of grinding speed and microstructure for several Ti-based cast alloys containing alpha, alpha + beta, or beta microstructure with or without the intermetallic precipitates. Model predictions indicated that the grindability of Ti alloys increases with decreasing fracture toughness or tensile ductility. The theoretical results are compared against experimental data in the literature to elucidate the roles of microstructure in grindability. The comparison revealed that alloying addition that leads to the formation of brittle intermetallics enhances grindability by reducing fracture toughness, tensile ductility, and the resistance to crack initiation and propagation.