Evaluation of machining performance in cryogenic machining of Inconel 718 and comparison with dry and MQL machining

There has been significant work on establishing relationships between machining performance and the cutting parameters for various work materials. Recent trends in machining research show that major efforts are being made to understand the impact of various cooling/lubrication methods on machining performance and surface integrity characteristics, all aimed at improving process and product performance. This study presents the experimental results of cryogenic machining of Inconel 718, a high-temperature aerospace alloy, and comparison of its performance in dry and minimum quantity lubrication machining. Experimental data on force components, progressive tool wear parameters such as flank wear, notch wear, crater wear, cutting temperature, chip morphology, and surface roughness/topography of machined samples are presented. New findings show that cryogenic machining is a promising research direction for machining of high-temperature aerospace alloy, Inconel 718, as it offers improved machining performance in terms of reduced tool wear, temperature, and improved surface quality. It was also found that the number of nozzles in cryogenic machining plays a vital role in controlling cutting forces and power consumption in cryogenic machining of Inconel 718.     

高速车削Inconel 718切削力的试验研究

为了研究高速切削Inconel 718的切削力经验公式和各切削参数对切削力的影响显著程度,应用涂层硬质合金刀具对Inconel 718进行了正交车削试验,得到了硬质合金刀具车削Inconel 718的切削力经验公式。分析结果表明:对切削力影响最大的因素是进给量,切削深度和切削速度对试验结果的影响依次减弱。用涂层硬质合金刀具KC5510精车Inconel 718时,采用小进给量、小切削深度、高切削速度可以得到小的切削力,取得良好的切削效果。     

EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION ON SURFACE INTEGRITY OF END MILLING NICKEL-BASED ALLOY— INCONEL 718

Inconel 718 is a typical difficult-to-machine material, and its high speed end milling process has wide applications in manufacturing parts from aerospace and power industry. Surface integrity of these parts greatly influences the final characteristics. This paper presents an experimental investigation to evaluate surface integrity behaviors in high speed end milling of Inconel 718 with finishing cutting parameters in terms of surface topography, surface roughness Ra, residual stresses, subsurface microstructure, and microhardness. The results show that abraded marks can be observed on the machined surfaces, and high cutting speed is advisable to get better surface topography and roughness quality. Due to high cutting temperature, residual stress is mainly high tensile stress. After increasing the cutting speed beyond 80m/min, the cutting forces hardly increased and the chips take away more cutting heat, which leads to that the residual stress barely increases. Microstructures in subsurface layers have only slight deformations after high speed milling, and there was also no obvious difference when the cutting speed increased beyond 80m/min against the microhardness in subsurface increases together with the cutting speed.     

Chip Formation Mechanism of Inconel 718:A Review of Models and Approaches

Inconel 718,a nickel,chrome and iron alloy,has special advantages,such as high-temperature strength,thermal resistance and corrosion resistance,which facilitate wide usage in the aerospace industry,especially in the hot sec-tions of gas turbine engines.However,machining this alloy is correlated closely with the material's inherent properties such as excellent combination of strength,hardness and toughness,low thermal conductivity and the tendency to adhere to cutting tools.This nickel alloy also contains inclusions of hard abrasive carbide particles that lead to work-hardening of the workpiece material and thus abrasive wear of the cutting tool.That is,the machining of Inconel 718 is always influenced by high mechanical and thermal loads.This article reviews the chip formation mechanism of Inconel 718.One of the main characteristics in machining of Inconel 718 is that it will produce serrated or segmented chips in a wide range of cutting speeds and feeds.Existing studies show that the chip serration or segmentation by shear localization affects the machined surface integrity,and also contributes to the chip's evacuation and the auto-mation of machining operations.Thus,research conclusion indicates that the serrated or segmented chip phenom-enon is desirable in reducing the level of cutting force,and detailed analysis of models and approaches to understand the chip formation mechanism of Inconel 718 is vital for machining this alloy effectively and efficiently.Therefore,this article presents some summaries on the models and approaches on the chip formation in machining of Inconel 718.     

Improving surface integrity in finish machining of Inconel 718 alloy using intelligent systems

In machining of hard materials, surface integrity is one of the major customer requirements which comprise the study of the changes induced to the workpiece. Surface roughness and residual stress are often considered as the most significant indications of surface integrity. Inducing tensile residual stress during the machining processes is a critical problem which should be avoided or minimized to obtain better service quality and component life. This problem becomes more evident in the presence of rough machined surface because fatigue life of manufactured components might be decreased significantly. Inconel 718 superalloy is one of the hard materials used extensively in the aerospace industries. It is prone to tensile residual stress in machined surface. Thus, controlling and optimizing residual stress and surface roughness in machining of Inconel 718 are so needed. Intelligent techniques based on the predictive and optimization models can be used efficiently for this purpose. In this study, the optimal machining parameters including cutting speed, depth of cut, and feed rate were accessed by intelligent systems to evaluate the state of residual stress and surface roughness in finish turning of Inconel 718. The results of experiments and analyses indicated that implemented techniques in this work provided a robust framework for improving surface integrity in machining of Inconel 718 alloy. It was shown that cutting speed has more effect on surface integrity than other investigated parameters. Also, depth of cut and feed rate were found in the moderate range to obtain satisfactory state of tensile residual stress and surface roughness.     

Experimental study of surface integrity and fatigue life in the face milling of inconel 718

The Inconel 718 alloy is widely used in the aerospace and power industries. The machining-induced surface integrity and fatigue life of this material are important factors for consideration due to high reliability and safety requirements. In this work, the milling of Inconel 718 was conducted at different cutting speeds and feed rates. Surface integrity and fatigue life were measured directly. The effects of cutting speed and feed rate on surface integrity and their further influences on fatigue life were analyzed. Within the chosen parameter range, the cutting speed barely affected the surface roughness, whereas the feed rate increased the surface roughness through the ideal residual height. The surface hardness increased as the cutting speed and feed rate increased. Tensile residual stress was observed on the machined surface, which showed improvement with the increasing feed rate. The cutting speed was not an influencing factor on fatigue life, but the feed rate affected fatigue life through the surface roughness. The high surface roughness resulting from the high feed rate could result in a high stress concentration factor and lead to a low fatigue life.     

Investigation of surface integrity in dry machining of Inconel 718

Machining of advanced aerospace materials have grown in the recent years although the diffucult-to-machine characteristics of alloys like titanium or nickel-based alloys cause higher cutting forces, rapid tool wear, and more heat generation. Therefore, machining with the use of cooling lubricants is usually carried out. To reduce the production costs and to make the processes environmentally safe, the goal is to move toward dry cutting by eliminating cutting fluids. This objective can be achieved by using coated tool, by increasing cutting speed, and by improving the product performance in term of surface integrity and product quality. The paper addresses the effects of cutting speed and feed on the surface integrity during dry machining of Inconel 718 alloy using coated tools. In particular, the influence of the cutting conditions on surface roughness, affected layer, microhardness, grain size, and microstructural alteration was investigated. Results show that cutting conditions have a significant effect on the parameters related to the surface integrity of the product affecting its overall performance.     

Development of a novel cubic boron nitride cutting tool with a textured flank face for high-speed machining of Inconel 718

Nickel-based superalloys such as Inconel 718 offer several advantages, including high-temperature strength and high corrosion resistance; this has led to a rapid increase in the demand for such materials, particularly in the aircraft industry. In contrast, these alloys are known to be among the most difficult-to-cut materials because of their mechanical and chemical properties, and tools used for this purpose have extremely short lifetimes. Recently, cubic boron nitride (CBN), which is the second hardest of all known materials, has received significant attention as a material for cutting tools and has already established itself in many fields of application. However, the performance of CBN tools is still insufficient for practical use, especially in the high-speed machining of Inconel 718. To overcome this problem, we first conducted orthogonal cutting experiments on Inconel 718 and performed cross-sectional observations of the CBN cutting tool in order to identify its wear mechanisms in continuous cutting operations under high-speed machining conditions (300 m/min). As a result, it was found that fatal tool failure occurs through crater and flank wear because of diffusion led by high cutting temperatures and subsequent chip adhesion to the tool flank face, accompanied by cutting edge chipping. Based on these results, a CBN cutting tool with a textured flank face was newly developed to improve the cutting tool life. Experimental: results showed that micro grooves generated on the flank face significantly suppressed the cutting edge chipping and remarkably extended the lifetime of the CBN tool during high-speed machining of Inconel 718.     

Comparative investigation on grindability of K4125 and Inconel718 nickel-based superalloys

Nickel-based superalloy is a typical hard-to-machining material in the aero-engine manufacturing industry. The grindability difference of two kinds of nickel-based superalloys, i.e., equiaxed cast nickel-based superalloy K4125 and wrought nickel-based superalloy Inconel718, are discussed in this article. The influence of grinding parameters (e.g., grinding speed, workpiece speed, and depth of cut) on the grinding force, grinding temperature, and ground surface quality are explored. The results illustrate that under the given grinding conditions, grinding K4125 generates higher forces than Inconel718. The temperature from the K4125 grinding process is beyond 400 °C, while the temperature from grinding on Inconel718 is below 200 °C. Moreover, because of the chip adhesion on the wheel surface when grinding K4125, not only the wheel wear is more severe but also the ground surface of K4125 is worse than that of Inconel718. Accordingly, it could be inferred that the grindability of K4125 is worse than that of Inconel718.     

Study of surface quality in machining nickel-based alloy Inconel 718

In machining operation, the surface quality is one of the most important requirements for many workpieces. Because of the special physical and chemical properties, good-machined surface quality becomes a key issue to solve in machining Inconel 718. In this paper, PVD-TiAlN-coated carbide tools were used to turn Inconel 718. Based on observing the tool wear and machined surface morphology, the main factors affecting surface quality at different cutting speeds were analyzed. The optimal cutting temperature was calculated, according to the above analysis and Archard adhesion wear model, and further cutting parameters optimization was conducted, on the basis of the proposed optimal cutting temperature. The optimized cutting parameters based on optimal cutting temperature can be considered to improve surface quality.     

用于加工Inconel718的切削刀具发展现状

镍基高温合金Inconel718具有熔点高、热传导率低、加工硬化现象严重的特点,被认为是最难加工的金属材料之一。近年来,随着航空航天、能源动力技术的飞速发展,Inconel718高温合金的应用越来越多,其高速、高效切削的加工需求也日益扩张,其切削工艺的制定、尤其是切削刀具的选择越来越重要。本文综述了常用于加工In-conel718的刀具(高速钢、硬质合金、陶瓷、立方氮化硼)及其涂层刀具的加工性能,分析了不同涂层对于刀具寿命和工件表面质量的影响,对硬质合金刀具和陶瓷刀具作了详尽的对比分析。最后,对高速钢、陶瓷、硬质合金和立方氮化硼刀具切削Inconel718的应用情况进行了总结,给出了Inconel718高温合金切削加工刀具选择的有益参考。     

Development of a pressurized internal cooling milling cutter and its machining performance assessment

In view of the serious problem of milling heat in milling nickel-based superalloys Inconel 718, this paper investigates the heat transfer performance of internal cooling in end milling Inconel 718, and the superiority of internal cooling milling cutter's heat exchange ability during processing is explored. The flow field characteristics of cutting fluid and milling temperature are studied by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Method (FEM). Compared with external flood cooling, the principle of internal cooling with excellent heat transfer performance is explained and the influence of coolant pressure on lubrication performance is analyzed. Experiments for end milling of Inconel 718 under different cutting speeds and cooling conditions have been carried out. The results indicate that the simulated and measured temperatures showed an acceptable agreement. The internal cooling has better heat transfer performance compared with flood cooling. With the increase of coolant pressure, the heat exchange efficiency is gradually enhanced. When the coolant pressure rises from 2 bar to 10 bar, the milling temperature at the measured point inside the workpiece reduces by 27.55 °C, the surface roughness reduces by 12.0%, the surface residual compressive stress increases by 68.37 MPa and better surface morphology is obtained. Besides, in the experimental range, with the increase of cutting speed, milling temperature increased, the pile-up effect on the sides of scratching was weakened and better machined surface integrity was found.     

Research on surface integrity of grinding Inconel718

Inconel718 is widely used in the aerospace industry; the finished surface quality has significant effect on service performance of component. The surface integrity in grinding Inconel718 respectively by using a vitrified bond single alumina (SA) wheel and a resin cubic boron nitride (CBN) wheel were investigated. First, effects of different grinding parameters on grinding temperature and grinding force and grinding chips feature by using a SA and a CBN wheel respectively were investigated. Then, the surface roughness and topography by using a SA and a CBN wheel through single factor experiment were compared, and in the grinding parameters range of the present study, the better surface can be obtained by a SA wheel. Finally, surface integrity by using a SA wheel and the different grinding depth was studied and analyzed by the grinding temperature and the grinding force. It was possible to conclude that better surface can be achieved by using a SA, and taking a _p?=?0.005 mm, v _w?=?16 m/min, v _s?=?25 m/s for grinding Inconel718. In this grinding case, the surface roughness was Ra0.112 μm, the surface residual stress was +700Mpa, and the surface hardness was 440 HV; the depth of residual stress layer was 40～60 μm, the depth of softened layer was 30～40 μm and the depth of plastic deformation layer was 10～15 μm.     

Improving machinability of Inconel 718 with a new hybrid machining technique

In this paper, by joining three non-traditional machining methods — plasma-enhanced machining, cryogenic machining, and ultrasonic vibration assisted machining — a new hybrid machining technique for machining of Inconel 718 is presented. Cryogenic machining reduces the temperature in the cutting zone, and therefore decrease tool wear and increases tool life, while plasma-enhanced machining helps to increase the temperature in the workpiece to make it softer. Also, applying ultrasonic vibrations to the tool helps to improve cutting quality and to prolong tool life by lowering, mainly, the cutting force and improving the dynamic cutting stability. This study experimentally investigates the effect of cutting parameters on cutting performance in the machining of Inconel 718 and compares the results of hybrid machining and conventional machining (CM). It is found that the hybrid method results in better surface finish and improves tool life in hard cutting at low cutting speeds as compared to the CM method.     

Surface roughness modeling in Laser-assisted End Milling of Inconel 718

Inconel 718 is a difficult-to-machine material while products of this material require good surface finish. Therefore, it is essential for the evaluation and prediction of surface roughness of machined Inconel 718 workpiece to be developed. An analytical model for the prediction of surface roughness under laser-assisted end milling of Inconel 718 is proposed based on kinematics of tool movement and elastic response of workpiece. The actual tool trajectory is first predicted with the consideration of overall tool movement, elastic deformation of tool, and the tool tip profile. The tool movements include the translation in feed direction and the rotation along its axis. The elastic deformation is calculated based on the previously established milling force prediction model. The tool tip profile is predicted based on the tool tip radius and angle. The machined surface profile is simulated based on the tool trajectory with elastic recovery, which is considered through the comparison between the minimum thickness and actual cutting thickness. Experiments are conducted in both conventional and laser-assisted milling under seven different sets of cutting parameters. Through the comparison between the analytical predictions and experimental measurements, the proposed model has high accuracy with the maximum error less than 27%, which is more accurate for lower feed rate with error less than 3%. The proposed analytical model is valuable for providing a fast, credible, and physics-based method for the prediction of surface roughness in milling process.     

Effect of cutting parameters on the degree of work hardening and tool life during high-speed machining of Inconel 718

The use of superalloy Inconel 718 is increasing in most of the sophisticated applications like aircraft engines, industrial gas turbines, rocket engines, space vehicles, submarines, etc. Hence, in-depth understanding of this material helps to determine the ability of this material to withstand severe conditions of stress, temperature, corrosion, and controls its longevity and reliability. In the present work, an attempt has been made to study the relationship of degree of work hardening and tool life as a function of cutting parameters like cutting speed, feed, depth of cut, untreated tungsten carbide and postcryogenic-treated tool. Work hardening and tool life are the major factors which need to be controlled/improved to enhance the machinability characteristics of superalloy Inconel 718. A significant performance in tool life was observed due to cryogenic treatment given to tungsten carbide tool. Moreover, it was observed that optimized cutting parameters not only minimized/controlled work hardening characteristics but also improved tool life while high-speed machining of Inconel 718.     

Study of surface quality in high speed turning of Inconel 718 with uncoated and coated CBN tools

Inconel 718 is known to be among the most difficult-to-machine materials due to its special properties which cause the short tool life and severe surface damages. The properties, which are responsible for poor machinability, include rapid work hardening during machining; tendency to weld with the tool material at high temperature generated during machining; the tendency to form a built-up edge during machining; and the presence of hard carbides, such as titanium carbide and niobium carbide, in their microstructure. Conventional method of machining Inconel 718 with cemented carbide tool restricts the cutting speed to a maximum 30?m/min due to the lower hot hardness of carbide tool, high temperature strength and low thermal conductivity of Inconel 718. The introduction of new coated carbide tools has increased cutting speed to 100?m/min; nevertheless, the time required to machine this alloy is still considerably high. High speed machining using advanced tool material, such as CBN, is one possible alternative for improving the productivity of this material due to its higher hot hardness in comparison with carbide tool. This paper specifically deals with surface quality generated under high speed finishing turning conditions on age-hardened Inconel 718 with focus on surface roughness, metallographic analysis of surface layer and surface damages produced by machining. Both coated and uncoated CBN tools were used in the tests, and a comparison between surfaces generated by both tools was also discussed.     

Intelligent optimization and selection of machining parameters in finish turning and facing of Inconel 718

The heat-resistant super alloy material like Inconel 718 machining is an inevitable and challenging task even in modern manufacturing processes. This paper describes the genetic algorithm coupled with artificial neural network (ANN) as an intelligent optimization technique for machining parameters optimization of Inconel 718. The machining experiments were conducted based on the design of experiments full-factorial type by varying the cutting speed, feed, and depth of cut as machining parameters against the responses of flank wear and surface roughness. The combined effects of cutting speed, feed, and depth of cut on the performance measures of surface roughness and flank wear were investigated by the analysis of variance. Using these experimental data, the mathematical model and ANN model were developed for constraints and fitness function evaluation in the intelligent optimization process. The optimization results were plotted as Pareto optimal front. Optimal machining parameters were obtained from the Pareto front graph. The confirmation experiments were conducted for the optimal machining parameters, and the betterment has been proved.     

Analysis of tool wear patterns in finishing turning of Inconel 718

This paper focuses on the analysis of tool wear mechanisms in finishing turning of Inconel 718, one of the most used Ni alloys, both in wet and dry cutting. Cemented carbides, ceramics and CBN tools are suitable for machining Ni alloys; coated carbide tools are competitive for machining operations of Ni alloys and widely used in industry. Commercial coated carbide tools (multilayer coating TiAl/TiAlN recommended for machining Ni alloys) were studied in this work. The feasibility of two inserts tested for dry cutting of Inconel 718 has been shown in the work. Experimental test were performed in order to analyze wear patterns evolution. It was found great influence of side cutting edge angle in tool wear mode.     

The performance Of DLC-coated and uncoated ultra-fine carbide tools in micromilling of Inconel 718

Coating is an important factor that affects cutting-tool performance. In particular, it directly affects surface quality and burr formation in the micro milling process. After the micromechanical machining process, surface quality is very hard to increase by a second process (grinding, etc.). In addition, in micromechanical machining, the cutting tool needs to have a good resistance to wear, owing to the fact that the cutting process is carried out at high speed. In this study, the machinability of Inconel 718 superalloy was investigated, using a Diamond Like Carbon (DLC) coated tool. The experimental tests were carried out in dry cutting conditions for different feed rates and depth of cuts. It was found that the dominant wear mechanism for all cutting parameters was identified to be abrasive and diffusive wear. Besides, a significantly Built Up Edge (BUE) formation was observed in uncoated tool. The results clearly show that DLC coating significantly decreased BUE. In addition, a smaller cutting force and better surface roughness were obtained with a DLC-coated tool. In conclusion, DLC coating can be used in micro milling of Inconel 718. It reduces the BUE and burr formation, improves surface roughness.