Investigations on Belt Grinding of GH4169 Nickel-Based Superalloy

Abstract

The majority of aero-engine components are designed and manufactured with nickel-based superalloy GH4169 in mind. There is little information available in the literature related to belt grinding processes of aero-engine components. Up to now, limited research has been reported in the use of belt for grinding aero-engine components made of nickel-based superalloy GH4169. A case study of an abrasive belt grinding performance applied on nickel-based superalloy GH4169 in manufacturing processes is presented, aiming to investigate the possibility of using belt grinding as a operation for components made of nickel-based superalloy GH4169. For the ‘optimised’ grinding conditions, the belt service life is evaluated by changing grinding parameters (grinding speed, contact force and oscillation frequency), and the following output measures are obtained: material removal, belt wear and grinding ratio. As a result, the maximum grinding ratio of G is 8.8, it could be concluded that belt grinding might be considered as a viable process for grinding aero-engine components.