Creep feed grinding of γ-TiAl

The paper initially reviews TiAl development in relation to aerospace applications. Following this, experimental data is presented which examines the effect of dresser infeed rate and springback passes at reduced depths of cut, on cutting forces and workpiece surface integrity, specifically residual stress and subsurface microstructure. A 3(2) full factorial experiment with replication was carried out. Plots of cutting forces against dresser in feed rate produced near linear trends, with the normal force rising by up to 75% when the feed rate was reduced from 1.5 to 0.5 mu m/rev. In contrast, the tangential force increased by up to 25%. Workpiece residual stress measurements were made using the blind hole drilling method. Large tensile stresses of up to 700 MPa were evident in the direction of cut corresponding to the direction of plastic flow, caused by the moving heat source. In contrast, compressive stresses were measured in the transverse direction with values up to 600 MPa.