Material removal mechanism of PTMCs in high-speed grinding when considering consecutive action of two abrasive grains

An effective finite element (FE) simulation model characterizing the material removal behavior of TiCp/Ti-6Al-4V titanium matrix composites in high-speed grinding process was developed when considering consecutive action of two abrasive grains. The resultant stress and grinding force have been analyzed to study the crack propagation behavior. The effect of the undeformed chip thickness on the ground surface defects was discussed. It was found that in the material removal process of PTMCs, the brittle removal of TiCp and the plastic removal of Ti-6Al-4V matrix would happen simultaneously until the reinforcing particle completely failed in the grinding process. The maximum Mises stress and single-grain grinding forces fluctuate weakly and smoothly once the crack is produced in the reinforcing TiCp. As for the reinforcing TiCp without crack inside, the crushing depth increases with the increase of the undeformed chip thickness in grinding. However, as for the TiCp with residual crack inside, due to the stress concentration in the tip of the crack, the TiCp is always cracked in chunks when the undeformed chip thickness changes from 0.3 to 0.9m in grinding. Finally, the FE simulation results are validated true through the high-speed grinding experiment of PTMCs.