Analysis for green grinding of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloys with profile rotating heat pipe-grinding wheel

Profile grinding of titanium alloys are now utilized for aero-engine structural components. However, owing to its low thermal conductivity, the grinding contact zone generates an intense deal of heat, resulting in burns on the surface of the workpiece. At the same time, titanium alloys are prone to abrasive adhesion at high temperatures, which aggravates the wear of the grinding wheel. A novel grinding wheel named profile rotating heat pipe-grinding wheel (PRHP-GW) was created to improve heat transfer in the grinding contact zone. Therefore, it is expected to achieve efficient heat exchange. The kind of working medium in the rotating heat pipe (RHP) is the key factor that might seriously influence the heat transmission capacity of the RHP-GW. In this article, the numerical simulation is applied to investigate the heat transfer characteristics of PRHP-GW from the perspective of different grinding heat flux, rotating speed and grinding wheel types (normal grinding wheel without RHP, PRHP-GW filled with deionized water, and PRHP-GW filled with diamond nanofluid). The results demonstrate that the heat transfer capacity of PRHP-GW is superior to that of the normal grinding wheel. In addition, the heat transfer performance of PRHP-GW filled with diamond nanofluid is better than the case filled with deionized water.