An investigation on surface burn during grinding of Inconel 718

Grinding nowadays is extensively used for machining of superalloys. Inconel 718 is a Ni-based superalloy which is known as difficult to grind material (DTG) due to its inherent properties like high hardness, high hot strength, severe strain hardening and low thermal conductivity. In the present work, grindability of Inconel 718 using conventional abrasive grinding wheels has been experimentally explored. Ground surfaces have been characterized after grinding with silicon carbide (SiC) and alumina (Al2O3) wheels under dry condition. Surface integrity of the ground product has been studied using surface characterization techniques like Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Further, the surface behavior of the ground surface has been investigated using microscopic images, micro-hardness tests, and surface roughness measurements. The major conclusion of the present work is that Inconel 718 can be ground more efficiently using alumina grinding wheels compared to the SiC grinding wheel. In the case of SiC wheel, it has been found that the severe attritious wear of the wheel took place primarily due to the chemical reaction between SiC grits and workpiece material at a higher grinding temperature. The mechanism for such attritious wear has been studied, and it appears to be a dissociation of SiC at higher temperature.