Grinding mechanism of high-efficiency and low-energy consumption in ultrasonic electrochemical composite grinding of bearing steel

As core components of aero-engines and transmission systems, the machining efficiency and quality of aviation bearings directly dictate the operational reliability and service life of aircraft. To overcome the limitations of conventional grinding in balancing machining efficiency, energy consumption, and surface quality, this study proposes an ultrasonic electrochemical composite grinding (UECG) technique. By analyzing the interactions between ultrasonic vibration, electrochemical dissolution, and mechanical grinding, the synergistic material removal mechanism under multi-energy field coupling is elucidated. The influence of ultrasonic cavitation bubbles and electrolytic bubbles on electrolyte conductivity is specifically investigated. Furthermore, material removal rate (MRR) and energy consumption models under coupled energy fields were established, showing strong agreement between experimental results and theoretical analysis. Compared with conventional grinding, UECG reduced energy consumption by 21.1%, enhanced the maximum MRR by 80.22%, and decreased surface roughness ( R a ) by 22.8%. The results indicate that appropriately increasing the ultrasonic amplitude and electrolysis voltage can significantly optimize machining efficiency and energy consumption characteristics. This work provides a theoretical foundation and technical reference for the high-efficiency, low-energy consumption, and high-quality manufacturing of critical aviation bearings.