Effect of intermittent cutting behavior on the ultrasonic vibration-assisted grinding performance of Inconel718 nickel-based superalloy

Ultrasonic vibration-assisted grinding (UVG) is a promising precision machining method for difficult-to-cut materials. This study investigated the intermittent cutting behavior in UVG of Inconel718 nickel-based superalloy and its effect on the grinding temperature, grinding force and workpiece surface quality. A novel material removal probability model was established to analyze the impact depth and the contact length between the abrasive grain and the workpiece considering the interference of grinding trajectories in UVG. Results indicated that the intermittent cutting behavior in UVG caused a decrease in the contact length by 42%, resulting in a significant reduction of grinding temperature and grinding force by 40% and 41%, respectively. It was suggested that the increase in the cutting depth was better than the increase in the workpiece infeed speed for enabling the lager material removal rate in the tangential UVG due to the lower grinding force ratio and the less change of specific grinding energy. A specific surface texture was generated on the ground surface due to the phenomenon of frequent contact and separation, enabling the reduction of workpiece surface roughness by maximum 20%. • A novel material removal probability model is established to analyze intermittent cutting behavior. • The contact length between tool and workpiece was decreased by 42% due to the intermittent cutting behavior. • Maximum material removal rate in ultrasonic grinding is three times of that in conventional grinding. • Grinding forces in ultrasonic grinding decreases by 41% compared with conventional grinding. • A specific surface texture is generated on ground surface enabling the reduction of surface roughness by 20%.