The Effect of a Laser Beam on Chip Formation during Machining of Ti6Al4V Alloy

The effect of the laser beam on chip formation when machining Ti6Al4V alloy has been investigated at different cutting speeds and laser powers. The characteristics of the segmented chip produced by laser-assisted machining (LAM) in terms of the tooth depth and tooth spacing were strongly dependent on the cutting speed and laser power. Two types of segmented chip formation processes were observed, one at low and the other at high cutting speeds with a continuous chip occurring between these two types of segmented chips. The critical cutting speed at which the transition from the sharp, segmented chip to the continuous chip occurred increased with laser power. To obtain the continuous chip, plastic deformation at the shear zone to match the deformation strain introduced by the cutting tool is required. This can be achieved by laser heating the material in front of the cutting tool. A physical model is proposed to explain qualitatively the chip segmentation in conventional machining and the continuous chip transition at high cutting speed with the application of a laser beam.     

Design of steels for high speed machining

Abstract

Historical analysis of metal cutting shows that metal removal rates have been increasing in the course of the century, predicated by the advancement in tool materials but the steel design has lagged behind. This paper examines the mechanisms of chip formation and tool wear as a function of cutting speed in metal cutting. Chemical wear is identified as the dominant mechanism of tool wear at high cutting speeds caused by temperature rise due to shear localisation in the primary and secondary shear zones of chip. Shear localisation in the primary shear zone is shown to be influenced by both microstructural parameters, i.e. matrix hardening and second phase particles, and metal cutting variables, i.e. cutting speed (strain rate) and feed (pressure). Shear localisation in the secondary shear zone is caused by the tribological conditions of seizure at the tool/chip interface. Chemical crater wear is caused by the dissolution of tool into the workpiece (chip) by diffusion mechanism and can be prevented by suppressing the tribological condition of seizure. The design of steel for high speed machining is based on engineering glassy oxide inclusions in steel, which are designed to form a viscous layer in situ at the tool/chip interface at high cutting speeds. The viscous layer lubricates the tool/chip interface and prevents the occurrence of seizure, thereby suppressing chemical crater wear. In comparison with the large volume fraction of inclusions required for promoting ductile fracture at low cutting speeds, the amount of inclusions required for lubricating the tool/chip interface is very small and is in the range that is typical of clean steel. Thermodynamic modelling is shown to be a powerful tool to engineer glassy oxide inclusions in steel     

The influence of austenite grain size and its distribution on chip deformation and tool life during machining of AISI 304L

In this article, the influence of austenite grain size and its distribution on chip deformation and tool life during machining of AISI 304L austenitic stainless steel bar is examined. Hot-forged bar and the quenched bars (at different quenching temperatures, 1050 °C, 1100 °C, 1150 °C, and 1200 °C) are machined at a high cutting speed. It was noted that the inhomogeneous distribution of grain size in the surface area, within a depth of 15 mm of the workpiece, resulted in tool edge breakage and lower tool life when machining the hot-forged bar compared with all of the quenched bars. In addition, a slight decrease in tool life was observed as the grain size increased in the quenched bars. The chip studies revealed that a higher segment height ratio of chip was gained when machining the hot-forged bar, compared to machining the quenched bars, due to the inhomogeneous distribution of grain size. Moreover, the thickness of the secondary shear zone was reduced as the grain size increased. Interestingly, it was noticed that the chip work hardened during the machining process due to strain-induced twinning and ɛ martensite transformation. The studies of tool wear and failure revealed that a crack was initiated on the flank face at the interface between the deposited workpiece and the tool substrate when machining the hot-forged bar. This crack was formed due to either the thermal and mechanical fatigue or plastic deformation of the tool substrate. The fatigue crack propagated into the tool substrate through the decohesion of interface between carbides. The criterion of tool life when machining all of the quenched bars was normal flank wear. Based on the studies of chip deformation and the mechanisms for tool wear and failure, the effects of austenite grain size and its distribution on tool life were explained.     

单晶锗微切削温度场建模及实验分析

针对单晶锗微切削热传导问题,采用移动热源法分别建立了在剪切滑移面热源和前刀面摩擦热源作用下单晶锗的微切削温升理论模型,计算了单晶锗三种切削速度下的最高切削温度,同时以同类硬脆性材料单晶硅的切削温度对此模型进行了验证。通过单点金刚石车削实验,利用红外热像仪对单晶锗微切削过程中的温度进行了在线测量。实验测量结果与模型计算结果对比发现,不同切削速度下,单晶锗的最高切削温度变化趋势一致,切削速度越大温度越高,其相对误差在2.56%～6.64%之间;单晶硅的最高切削温度相对误差为3.84%。模型能够对单晶锗及同类硬脆性材料的温度场进行较准确的预测,为研究其热效应提供进一步理论支持。      

Active wear and failure mechanisms of TiN-Coated high speed steel and tin-coated cemented carbide tools when machining powder metallurgically made stainless steels

In this study, active wear and failure mechanisms of both TiN-coated high speed steel and TiN-coated cemented carbide tools when machining stainless steels made by powder metallurgy in low and high cutting speed ranges, respectively, have been investigated. Abrasive wear mechanisms, fatigue-induced failure, and adhesive and diffusion wear mechanisms mainly affected the tool life of TiN-coated high speed steel tools at cutting speeds below 35 m/min, between 35 and 45 m/min, and over 45 m/min, respectively. Additionally, fatigue-induced failure was active at cutting speeds over 45 m/min in the low cutting speed range when machining powder metallurgically made duplex stainless steel 2205 and austenitic stainless steel 316L. In the high cutting speed range, from 100 to 250 m/min, fatigue-induced failure together with diffusion wear mechanism, affected the tool life of TiN-coated cemented carbide tools when machining both 316L and 2205 stainless steels. It was noticed that the tool life of TiN-coated high speed steel tools used in the low cutting speed range when machining 2205 steel was longer than that when machining 316L steel, whereas the tool life of TiN-coated cemented carbide tools used in the high cutting speed range when machining 316L steel was longer than that when machining 2205 steel. formerly with the Laboratory of Engineering Materials, Helsinki University of Technology     

Ti-5553合金车削加工性能研究

Ti-5553(Ti-5Al-5V-5Mo-3Cr-0.5Fe)合金具有优异的综合力学性能,正逐步替代TC4(Ti-6Al-4V)钛合金成为高强度航空用工件的制备材料。然而,由于Ti-5553合金机械加工效率低,一定程度上制约了其在航空领域的大规模应用。为此,对Ti-5553合金与TC4钛合金的车削加工性能参数进行了探索,发现在相同的切削速度下,Ti-5553合金的主切削力和吃刀抗力均高于TC4钛合金,且最高切削速度仅为50 m/min。此外,两种合金在切削过程中均会与车刀发生扩散反应,而Ti-5553合金对刀具的磨损更为严重。相信本研究将为后期优化Ti-5553合金的车削加工参数、提高其加工效率提供有利的实验数据支持。     

Effect of cutting parameters on cutting force and surface roughness in milling alumina reinforced Al–6Zn–2Mg–2Cu composites

Abstract

This paper presents the effect of main cutting parameters on cutting force and surface roughness in machining of alumina reinforced Al–6Zn–2Mg–2Cu composites. The composites were produced using powder metallurgy route. After an application of annealing heat treatment to these composites, their microstructural and mechanical characterisations were carried out. Then, machining was performed using the face milling operation with three different cutting tools and at various cutting speeds and feed rates for comparison. Results show that both cutting force and surface roughness increased with increasing the feedrate significantly. Furthermore, the cutting speed practically did not affect the cutting force in milling operation.     

Alternatives to Lead as a Machinability Enhancer in Free Cutting Steels

Low levels of lead are added to free cutting steels to improve machinability. For environmental reasons, there is interest in alternatives to lead that are technically and commercially viable. The machining performance of eight low carbon free cutting steels with alternative machinability enhancers, including additions of bismuth, increased sulphur (with and without tellurium), tin and phosphorus, has been investigated. In tests with high speed steel tools and lubricant, the leaded steel showed the best performance in terms of production rate, surface finish and chip form. In tests with coated carbide tools at a range of cutting speeds the standard non‐leaded 11 SMn30 steel performed well in terms of tool wear, but showed poorer chip form than the leaded steel. The steels with increased sulphur showed improved performance compared with the 11SMn30 steel in tests using high speed steel tools and lubricant, but did not approach the leaded steel in terms of production rate. The steels containing tin did not generally perform better than the 11 SMn30 steel. The 11 SMn30Bi steel gave performance approaching that of the leaded steel in tests with high speed steel tools and lubricant. However, the cost of this addition may make it uneconomic for large scale use.     

Application of Thermodynamic Model for Inclusion Control in Steelmaking to Improve the Machinability of Low Carbon Free Cutting Steels

Oxide inclusions formed during steelmaking processes influence the machinability of steel products. At moderate and high cutting speeds, the tool life is dominated by chemical wear. However this wear can be suppressed by engineering exogenous and indigenous glassy oxide inclusions in steel. The present work demonstrates a method to engineer glassy oxide inclusions in a low carbon free cutting steel applying a new thermodynamic model for deoxidation control of steel based on slag‐melt as well as melt‐oxide inclusion equilibration. The model is used online in an industrial production line for the controlled production of glassy inclusions. These inclusions are shown to improve machinability by lubricating the tool‐chip interface during machining of the steel at high cutting speeds. Using an inclusion engineered work piece, the crater wear of an uncoated P10 tool is significantly improved and the tool life is tripled at cutting speeds in the range between 200 and 400 m/min. The industrial results show that thermodynamic modelling is a powerful tool to produce free cutting steels with consistently good machinability behaviour.     

Ti Alloy with Enhanced Machinability in UAT Turning

Metastable β-titanium alloys such as Ti 15V 3Al 3Cr 3Sn are of great technological interest thanks to their high fatigue strength-to-density ratio. However, their high hardness and poor machinability increase machining costs. Additionally, formation of undesirable long chips increases the machining time. To address those issues, a metastable β-titanium alloy (Ti 15V 3Al 3Cr 2Zr 0.9La) with enhanced machinability was developed to produce short chips even at low cutting speeds. A hybrid ultrasonically assisted machining technique, known to reduce cutting forces, was employed in this study. Cutting force components and surface quality of the finished work-pieces were analyzed for a range of cutting speeds in comparison with those for more traditional Ti 15V 3Al 3Cr 3Sn. The novel alloy demonstrated slightly improved machining characteristics at higher cutting speeds and is now ready for industrial applications.     

Residual stresses after orthogonal machining of AlSl 304: numerical calculation of the thermal component and comparison with experimental results

Residual stresses due to the thermal influence of orthogonal machining have been calculated with a finite element model using stationary workpiece temperatures during cutting calculated with the finite difference method. Calculated results are compared with experimental data obtained with the X-ray diffraction method. In this way, the thermal and mechanical/frictional influences of the machining operation on the workpiece residual stress state can be separated. The influence of cutting speed and cutting depth on machining residual stresses is discussed. It is shown that the thermal as well as the mechanical impact of the orthogonal cutting process causes tensile residual stresses. The mechanical impact of the machining operation causing tensile residual stresses is due to (a) compressive plastic deformation in the surface layer ahead of the advancing tool and (b) greater elastic relaxation upon unloading with respect to the underlying material of a thin, strongly work-hardened surface layer. CHRISTOPH WIESNER, formerly Research Assistant with the Laboratoire de Métallurgie Mécanique, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, MX-D Ecublens, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.     

Fusion zone microstructure and porosity in electron beam welds of an α+β titanium alloy

The effect of electron beam welding parameters on fusion zone (FZ) microstructure and porosity in a Ti - 6.8 Al - 3.42 Mo - 1.9 Zr - 0.21 Si alloy (Russian designation VT 9) has been investigated. It has been observed that the FZ grain width increased continuously with increase in heat input when the base metal was in the β heat-treated condition, while in the α + β heat-treated base metal welds, the FZ grain width increased only after a threshold energy input. The difference is attributed to both the weld thermal cycle and the pinning effect of equiaxed primary alpha on grain growth in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of α + β heat-treated base metal. Postweld heat treatment (PWHT) in the subtransus and supertransus regions did not alter the columnar grain morphology in the FZ, possibly due to the lack of enough driving force for the formation of new grains by the breaking up of the columnar grains and grain boundary movement for grain growth. As the PWHTs were conducted in a furnace, the role of thermal gradients can be ruled out. Intragranular microstructure in the aswelded condition consisted of hexagonal martensite. The scale of the martensite laths depended on welding speed. The highest porosity was observed at intermediate welding speeds. At low speeds, a majority of pores formed at the fusion boundary, while at high speeds, occurrence of porosity was maximum at the weld center. The trends on porosity can be explained on the basis of solubility of hydrogen in titanium as a function of temperature and the influence of weld thermal cycle on nucleation, growth, and escape of hydrogen gas bubbles. The porosity at slow welding speeds is low because sufficient time exists for the nucleation, growth, and escape of hydrogen gas bubbles, while insufficient time exists for the nucleation of gas bubbles at high welding speeds. The effect of pickling of joint surface, vacuum annealing of the base metal, and successive remelting of the weld metal has also been investigated.     

Machinability of medium carbon tin- bearing free cutting steel

Tin- bearing free cutting steel is environmentally friendly material. The test steel of 100mm in diameter with Sn of 0. 16 mass% by smelting in industrial frequency induction furnace and hot forging was prepared. Machinability experiments of the test steel using a stepless speed regulation lathe(C6140) was conducted. Besides, the distribution of tin, sulfur and manganese in the tested steel using secondary ion mass spectrometer was analyzed. The research results show that the coefficient of relative machinability of the test steel is 1. 75, the style of cutting chip mainly is C- shaped, in addition to this, there is a small amount of helical chip. Therefore, the test steel has excellent machinability, and it can meet the requirements of high speed machining. It is considered that grain boundary embrittlement caused by segregation of tin at ferrite grain boundaries, liquid metal embrittlement and lubrication action caused by low melting point of tin, are main reasons of the improvement of machinability.     

Radial localization of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-sensitive Ca2+ release sites in Xenopus oocytes resolved by axial confocal linescan imaging

The radial localization and properties of elementary calcium release events ("puffs") were studied in Xenopus oocytes using a confocal microscope equipped with a piezoelectric focussing unit to allow rapid (>100 Hz) imaging of calcium signals along a radial line into the cell with a spatial resolution of <0.7 micrometer. Weak photorelease of caged inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3) evoked puffs arising predominantly within a 6-micrometer thick band located within a few micrometers of the cell surface. Approximately 25% of puffs had a restricted radial spread, consistent with calcium release from a single site. Most puffs, however, exhibited a greater radial spread (3.25 micrometer), likely involving recruitment of radially neighboring release sites. Calcium waves evoked by just suprathreshold stimuli exhibited radial calcium distributions consistent with inward diffusion of calcium liberated at puff sites, whereas stronger flashes evoked strong, short-latency signals at depths inward from puff sites, indicating deep InsP3-sensitive stores activated at higher concentrations of InsP3. Immunolocalization of InsP3 receptors showed punctate staining throughout a region corresponding to the localization of puffs and subplasmalemmal endoplasmic reticulum. The radial organization of puff sites a few micrometers inward from the plasma membrane may have important consequences for activation of calcium-dependent ion channels and "capacitative" calcium influx. However, on the macroscopic (hundreds of micrometers) scale of global calcium waves, release can be considered to occur primarily within a thin, essentially two-dimensional subplasmalemmal shell.     

Finite-Element Simulation of Conventional and High-Speed Peripheral Milling of Hardened Mold Steel

A finite-element model (FEM) with the flow stress and typical fracture is used to simulate a hard machining process, which before this work could not adequately represent the constitutive behavior of workpiece material that is usually heat treated to hardness levels above 50 Rockwell C hardness (HRC). Thus, a flow stress equation with a variation in hardness is used in the computer simulation of hard machining. In this article, the influence of the milling speed on the cutting force, chip morphology, effective stress, and cutting temperature in the deformation zones of both conventional and high-speed peripheral milling hardened mold steel is systematically studied by finite-element analysis (FEA). By taking into consideration the importance of material characteristics during the milling process, the similar Johnson–Cook’s constitutive equation with hardened mold steel is introduced to the FEM to investigate the peripheral milling of hardened mold steel. In comparison with the experimental data of the cutting force at various cutting speeds, the simulation result is identical with the measured data. The results indicate that the model can be used to accurately predict the behavior of hardened mold steel in both conventional and high-speed milling.     

Influence of Preheating Temperature on Microstructure Evolution and Hardness of High-Speed Steel AISI M50 Processed by Laser Powder Bed Fusion

The laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology has been involved in the tooling industry to produce tools with complex geometry and integrated functions. However, tool steels with high carbon content tend to crack due to the thermal stresses during the LPBF process. One solution is increasing the powder bed temperature to avoid large thermal gradients. In the present study, the influence of the preheating temperature on microstructure and corresponding hardness is systematically investigated. With the help of time–temperature–transformation diagram, the phase evolution during the LPBF process is systematically explained. AISI M50 samples are produced by LPBF from room temperature to a preheating temperature of 650 °C. Higher preheating temperatures shift the optimal laser parameter window to lower volume energy densities. A cellular/dendritic microstructure formed during the rapid solidification with retained austenite is located at the interdendritic regions. Moreover, a high preheating temperature reduces the retained austenite fraction, specifically from 39% without preheating to 7.6% at 650 °C preheating temperature.     

Rare earth ceramic cutting tool and its cutting behavior when machining hardened steel and cast iron

The addition of rare earth element yttrium played an important role in the improvement of both mechanical properties and wear resistance of Al2O3/(W,Ti)C ceramic cutting tool material.Mechanical properties especially the fracture toughness and flexural strength were obviously increased when a suitable amount of the yttrium were added.Wear resistance of the developed rare earth ceramic cutting tool material was higher than that of the corresponding materials without rare earth in the machining of the hardened 45# carbon steel and cast iron HT20-40.Wear modes of the Al2O3/(W,Ti)C rare earth ceramic tool materials were mainly flank wear and crater wear accompanied with slight notch wear when machining the hardened carbon steel.Wear mechanisms were major abrasive wear at low cutting speed and adhesive wear at high cutting speed.Wear modes were nearly the same except that the adhesion phenomenon in the crater area was intensified when machining cast iron.The flank wear area was relatively smooth with no obvious plowing phenomenon which was possibly concerned with the workpiece of low hardness and the adhesion phenomenon at high cutting temperature.     

The use of Taguchi's methods for the evaluation of industrial knife design

Knives are used in industry, and particularly on meat packaging assembly lines, where a premium is placed on the speed of cutting. One consequence of this is that knife design and selection has been based on the speed of cutting as the most significant measure of a knife. In industry the cuts that knives make vary in difficulty with many factors such as thickness, contour, and temperature of the material being cut. These factors may change the speed with which these cuts are made. According to Taguchi's methods, a robust design is one that maintains high performance while remaining insensitive to changes in its environment. This means that a robust knife design would enable an employee to cut not only with as much speed as possible in one particular cutting scenario, but also with a consistently high speed in as many cutting scenarios as possible. An experiment with various knife designs was evaluated with Taguchi's method. Ten subjects cut outlined clay patterns in 15 min with each one of nine different knives. The nine different designs were generated from the following combinations; three grip sizes (44.4, 50.8 and 63.5 mm), three coupling angles between the grip and the blade (0, 45 and 90 degrees), three blade heights measured from the middle of the blade (10, 13 and 15 mm), and three blade lengths (85, 125 and 155 mm). Eight conditions of cutting material were used to generate 'noise'. They are combinations of temperature of the clay to be cut (from temperature (R) approximately 25 degrees C, frozen for 1 h (F) approximately 5 degrees C), thickness of the clay to be cut (15 and 25 mm), and orientation of the work surface (0 and 30 degrees). The result shows that the knife design of 63.5 mm grip size, 0 degree coupling angle, 13 mm blade height, and 85 mm blade length provides the highest number of cuts, the knife design of 50.8 mm grip size, 45 degrees coupling angle, 15 mm blade height, and 85 mm blade length gives the highest signal to noise ratio. The shorter blade (85 mm) is suggested by both designs, but the two designs are different in the other three variables. Further analysis of the noise variables shows that lowering clay temperature significantly reduces cutting speed. Although there is more than one design that can resolve changes in clay thickness and clay orientation, a 15 mm blade height is the only design insensitive to the clay temperature change.     

An electron microscopy study of chip formation

Chip formation or metal cutting is a unique large strain, high strain rate plastic deformation process. Almost all the previously reported studies of chip formation have examined the problem from the point of view of the mechanics of the deformable bodies using the mathematical theory of plasticity. This study, recognizing the heterogeneous nature of chip formation as encountered in course of machining metals, examines the problem from the metal physical or metallurgical view point. Electron microscopy studies were carried out on steel as well as nonferrous metal chips produced by shop machining conditions and compared to those chips produced by ultramicrotomy. This thin film orthogonal cutting process was employed to produce chips for microscopic examinations under well controlled and repeatable experimental conditions. The experiments carried out were designed to clarify the details of the heterogeneous plastic deformation activity occurring on the microscopic level during machining. The morphological (external surface) characteristics of the chips observed with the scanning electron microscope were correlated with the internal, dislocated structure of the chips observed by transmission electron microscopy methods. The effect of a stacking fault energy (SFE) change in an Ag-Sn alloy on chip thickness ratio(ν _t) is presented for the first time, demonstrating that this deformation process is sensitive to changes in SFE. The essentially discontinuous nature of the chip formation process observed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy is analyzed with a model involving dynamic dislocation behavior in a metal in the presence of large energy dissipation arising from plastic flow to account for the observed instability. N. Y. J. T. BLACK, formerly with the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Vermont, Burlington Vt.