Effect of flexible machining on subsurface damage and recrystallization of single crystal superalloy

Single crystal superalloy has gradually become the primary manufacturing material of advanced aero-engine turbine blades. However, it is easy to introduce subsurface damage and recrystallization to worsen the high-temperature service performance during the precision machining process. To investigate the effect of abrasive belt grinding on the subsurface damage and recrystallization of single crystal superalloy, a flexible adaptive continuous feed analysis model was established, which was confirmed by a series of flexible and rigid scratching experiments. The experimental results showed that the plastic deformation area generated by flexible scratch was smaller, but the slip area was larger. The recrystallization depth of flexible scratch was about 35 % lower than that of rigid scratch. The effective material removal rate of the flexible scratch was larger. The flexible reciprocating scratch verified the feasibility of the adaptive continuous feed model. And the recrystallization depth of flexible reciprocating scratch was about 47 % lower than that of rigid scratch. It indicates that the flexible machining method can not only reduce the recrystallization depth but also ensure material processing efficiency. It is expected to provide a theoretical basis and technical support for the high efficiency and low-damage machining of single crystal superalloy.