Advancements in tungsten alloy machining: a comparative study of grinding force on rotary ultrasonic grinding and conventional techniques

Abstract Tungsten alloys are widely used in aerospace, military defense, the nuclear industry, medical applications, and other critical manufacturing fields due to their exceptional physical and chemical properties, including corrosion resistance, high hardness, high boiling point, low vapor pressure, and high strength. As the demand for tungsten alloys grows, there is a need for improved accuracy, quality, and surface integrity in their manufacturing and processing. Conventional Grinding (CG) methods for tungsten alloys faced challenges such as fast tool wear, brittle fracture, high grinding force, and high temperature. Rotary Ultrasonic Grinding (RUG) was developed to overcome these limitations, combining traditional and ultrasonic machining to enhance Material Removal Rates (MRR). This research involved grinding of tungsten alloy (W-Ni-Fe) simulations in Abaqus software and experiments on CNC machines, comparing RUG and CG carried out by Taguchi experimental design method to study the influences of spindle speed, grinding depth, feed rate, ultrasonic frequency, and amplitude on the grinding force generated in grinding of tungsten alloy. Results indicated that RUG reduces grinding force compared to CG. Increased grinding depth and feed rate raised the grinding force, while the grinding force was reduced by increasing ultrasonic amplitude. Finally, for optimal grinding force reduction in processing, a smaller grinding depth and feed rate, higher spindle speed, moderate ultrasonic frequency, and amplitude should be selected.