Abrasive flow machining is a non-traditional production method applied to complex surfaces. It is a very useful method to achieve good surface quality which is very important nowadays. Especially, it is desired that the surface quality of materials with high corrosion and high heat resistance used in aviation and automotive industry is good. In this paper, the effects of abrasive flow machining (AFM) technique on the surface quality of material such as Ti-6Al-4V, especially used in the aerospace industry, have been observed. Taguchi method was used to see appropriate parameters and noise factors. The surface roughness values (R a ), material removal rate (MRR) were measured and the white layer formed by high heat during cutting was removed in the high cycle numbers. Wire electrical discharge machining (Wire EDM) process the white layer formed during cutting and corrected by the AFM technique is an undesirable layer on the material surface. Experiments were carried out by changing the abrasive concentration and abrasive mesh size in this abrasive media. The number of cycles was increased, and experiments were continued with up to 50 cycles. The best surface quality values were achieved in experiments using 180 abrasive grain size and 60% abrasive concentration. The surface roughness (R a ) values, material removal rate (MRR) were measured and the white layer formed by high heat during cutting was removed in the high process cycles.

Polishing the surface of aerospace material  Removing the white layer  Surface finishing Figure A. Surface roughness value of Abrasive Flow Machined Ti-6Al-4V by180 mesh abrasive (a) before AFM process (b) After AFM prosess (c)Purpose: Traditional finishing techniques do not provide the desired surface quality, especially in industries such as aerospace and medical. Parts have to be kept in an extra finishing method to have the desired surface quality. Abrasive flow machining (AFM) technique is one of the non-traditional finishing process used to improve surface quality of parts. The aim of the study is to increase the surface quality of aerospace alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) by AFM process. Theory and Methods:Abrasive flow machining (AFM) is a nontraditional machining process that was developed in the USA in the 1960s. AFM can be described as pressurized media passing through the surfaces to reach the desired surface quality. The experiments were performed on the Ti-6Al-4V alloy with three mesh size abrasive and three abrasive concentration. The pressurized abrasive media flowed through the WEDMed surfaces with an opening of 10×20 mm, the experiments were carried out for 1, 3, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cycles. Results:The experimental study showed that the undesired white layer was removed by AFM process. The highest material removal rate was obtained by 180 grit size and 60% abrasive concentration of 14 mg / min. Workpiece surface quality was reduced from 3.5 µm to 0.25 µm by AFM process. Conclusion:It is concluded that the surface quality of the titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) produced by WEDM process, which is widely used in aviation industry, is improved after AFM process. The white layer formed during WEDM is successfully removed by AFM in a few cycles. The removal of this layer eliminates surface cracks and thus the fatigue strength may increase.