Evaluation of Ultrasonic Vibration-Assisted Grinding in Multi-Process Profile Grinding of K4002 Nickel-Based Superalloy Blade Tenons

The fir-tree blade tenon is an important connection part of the turbine blade; its machining quality directly affects the life and power of the aeroengine. At present, the machining of the blade tenon requires multiple profile grinding processes. This study highlights the whole profile of the grinding processes of K4002 nickel-based superalloy blade tenons in ultrasonic vibration-assisted grinding (UVG). A probability superposition method was utilized to calculate the undeformed chip thickness and contact rate considering the random distribution of the abrasive grains and the overlap of the grinding trajectories. Subsequently, the grinding force, grinding temperature and surface integrity of the blade tenons in conventional grinding (CG) and UVG were investigated. The results indicate that the ultrasonic vibration causes intermittent cutting behavior which can reduce the contact rate to 0.6 at most. The grinding force, grinding temperature and surface integrity are deeply affected by the fir-tree shape of the blade tenon. The maximum grinding force occurs at the start of the full contact stage; surface burnout easily occurs in the middle top area of the blade tenon. Compared to CG, the use of UVG leads to an average reduction in the grinding force and temperature by 20% and 23%, respectively, improving the surface burnout of the K4002 superalloy.