To improve the surface quality and mechanical properties of TC17 titanium alloy for aero-engine blades, this paper proposes a synergistic polishing modification method using ultrasonic cavitation and micro-abrasive particles. A mathematical model for bubble evolution and heterogeneous nucleation rate prediction is established, incorporating the perturbation effects of micro-abrasives. A high-speed photography and polishing experimental platform is developed to investigate the effects of ultrasonic frequency on cavitation behavior and modification performance. The experimental results show that at an ultrasonic frequency of 20 kHz, the cavitation cloud exhibits the strongest aggregation and directionality, with a more pronounced collapse impact. Compared with that at 40 kHz, the effective modification energy at 20 kHz is increased by 38.5%. In comparison with the original sample, surface roughness is reduced by 24.9%, microhardness is increased by 16.0%, residual compressive stress is increased by 134.1%, and the width of surface microstructural features is refined by 28.3%. This study reveals the underlying mechanism of ultrasonic cavitation and micro-abrasive synergistic polishing modification.
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