A comparative experimental study on abrasive flow machining vs flow peening GOV processes on Inconel 718

Inconel 718, a nickel-based super alloy, has a broad applications area from aerospace, medical and defence traditional industries because of its high durability, corrosion resistance and elevated temperature performance. Unconventional surface treatment methods of abrasive flow machining (AFM) and shot peening (SP) are applied to improve the mechanical performance of Inconel 718. In this work, a new surface treatment process known flow peening (GOV) already developed by combining the advantages of abrasive flow machining (AFM) and peening methods such as surface finishing and residual compressive stress generation respectively was applied experimentally for Inconel 718. The effects of process parameters for GOV and AFM processes on the surface quality of the specimens were experimentally investigated. White layer decrease, surface roughness decrease material removal amount were discussed for both processes. The best surface quality with 0.56 mu m Ra surface roughness value and material removal amount of 7.2 mg were obtained by GOV process while similar level surface roughness value of 0.52 mu m was obtained by removing 6648.03 mg material for AFM. When the process was continued, the best values of 0.24 mu m Ra was obtained removing excess material of 17,385.60 compared to the GOV process. Also, all these results were supported by SEM images.