Surface characteristics in rigid and adaptive belt grinding of Inconel 718

Nickel based superalloys such as Inconel 718 are used in aerospace and turbine components. Performance of the components depends on their surface integrity induced by the manufacturing operations involved. Rigid and adaptive grinding of Inconel was carried out to establish comparative performance in terms of achievable surface integrity. The surface micrographs and roughness results revealed that the adaptive belt grinding produced smooth surface, and roughness could be reduced by ̴ 40-45%, when compared to rigid belt grinding. It was found that the micro-hardness varied at different locations on the surface in case of rigid belt grinding, whereas hardness variation remained within smaller range throughout the surface in case of adaptive grinding. Subsurface analysis also showed that the adaptive grinding preserved the subsurface layer without any significant alteration, hardened layer or damage.