Surface integrity of finished turned Ti–6Al–4V alloy with PCD tools using conventional and high pressure coolant supplies

 Surfaces generated when machining Ti–6Al–4V alloy with PCD tools using conventional and high pressure coolant supplies was investigated. Longer tool life was recorded when machining Ti–6Al–4V with high-pressure coolant supplies and the recorded surface roughness R_a values were well below the tool rejection criterion (1.6 μm) for all cutting conditions investigated. The micro-structure of the machined surfaces were examined on a scanning electron microscope. Micrographs of the machined surfaces show that micro-pits and re-deposited work material were the main damages to the surfaces. Micro-hardness analysis showed hardening of the top machined surfaces when machining with conventional coolant while softening of the subsurface layer was observed when machining under high-pressure coolant supplies. The later is probably due to lower heat generated, with the consequent tempering action when machining with PCD tools with high-pressure coolant supplies. The microstructure below the machined surfaces had minimal or no plastic deformation when machining with conventional and high-pressure coolant supplies.     

Investigation of wear behavior and chip formation for cutting tools with nano-multilayered TiAlCrN/NbN PVD coating

A comprehensive investigation of the wear progress and chip formation was performed on an ultra-fine-grained cemented carbide ball nose end mill coated with a novel nano-multilayered TiAlCrN/NbN coating, by dry machining-hardened steel AISI H13 (HRC 55–57) at a cutting speed of 300 m/min. Flank wear and cutting forces were measured as the wear progressed; chip temperatures were estimated. The surface morphology of the tools were studied by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis techniques. Results showed that protective oxide films (Al–O, Cr–O and Nb–O) were formed during cutting. With the combination of the protective oxide films and the fine-grain tough substrate, the tool wear rate was greatly reduced compared to the other coatings tested. Continuous and saw-tooth chips were identified, corresponding to a new sharp tool and a worn tool, respectively. The mechanisms of saw-tooth chip formation were found to be a combination of “crack theory” and “adiabatic shear theory”. The characteristics of the chips were studied in detail with the results showing that during formation the chips underwent a combined effect of strain hardening and thermal softening, followed by a quenching phenomenon.     

A new material model for 2D numerical simulation of serrated chip formation when machining titanium alloy Ti–6Al–4V

A new material constitutive law is implemented in a 2D finite element model to analyse the chip formation and shear localisation when machining titanium alloys. The numerical simulations use a commercial finite element software (FORGE 2005^®) able to solve complex thermo-mechanical problems. One of the main machining characteristics of titanium alloys is to produce segmented chips for a wide range of cutting speeds and feeds. The present study assumes that the chip segmentation is only induced by adiabatic shear banding, without material failure in the primary shear zone. The new developed model takes into account the influence of strain, strain rate and temperature on the flow stress and also introduces a strain softening effect. The tool chip friction is managed by a combined Coulomb–Tresca friction law. The influence of two different strain softening levels and machining parameters on the cutting forces and chip morphology has been studied. Chip morphology, cutting and feed forces predicted by numerical simulations are compared with experimental results.     

Evaluation of the performance of CBN tools when turning Ti–6Al–4V alloy with high pressure coolant supplies

Cubic Nitride Boron (CBN) tools are generally used for machining harder alloys such as hardened high Cr steels, titanium and nickel alloys. The tools are expected to withstand the heat and pressure developed when machining at higher cutting conditions because of their high hardness and melting point. This paper evaluates the performance of different CBN tool grades in finish turning Ti–6Al–4V (IMI 318) alloy at high cutting conditions, up to 250 m min⁻¹, with various coolant supplies. Tool wear, failure modes, cutting and feed forces and surface roughness of machined surfaces were monitored and used to access the performance of the cutting tools. Comparative trials were carried out with uncoated carbide tools when machining at a speed of 150 m min⁻¹. Test results show that the performance of CBN tools, in terms of tool life, at the cutting conditions investigated is poor relative to uncoated carbide tools, as expected and often, reported due probably to rapid notching and excessive chipping of the cutting edge associated with a relatively high diffusion wear rate that tends to weaken the bond strength of the tool substrate. An increase in the CBN content of the cutting tool also led to a reduction in tool life when machining at the cutting conditions investigated.     

Al–Ti–C–Sr master alloy—A melt inoculant for simultaneous grain refinement and modification of hypoeutectic Al–Si alloys

Present article is focused on the microstructural features of Al–Ti–C–Sr master alloy, an inoculant for simultaneous grain refinement and modification of hypoeutectic Al–Si alloys. This master alloy is basically a metal matrix composite consisting of TiC and Al₄Sr phases formed in situ in the Al-matrix. TiC particles initiate the refinement of primary α-Al through heterogeneous nucleation in molten hypoeutectic Al–Si alloy, while Al₄Sr phase dissolves in molten Al–7Si alloy enriching the melt with Sr, which eventually leads to modification of eutectic silicon during solidification of the Al–7Si alloy casting. Thus present master alloy serves in both ways, as a grain refiner and a modifier for hypoeutectic Al–Si alloys.     

The effects of lanthanum on microstructure and electrochemical properties of Al–Zn–In based sacrificial anode alloys

In order to improve the non-uniform corrosion of Al–0.5Zn–0.03In–1Mg–0.05Ti alloys, Al–5Zn–0.03In–1Mg–0.05Ti–xLa (x = 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7 wt.%) alloys were developed. Microstructures and electrochemical properties of the alloys were investigated. The results show that the optimal microstructures and electrochemical properties are obtained in Al–5Zn–0.03In–1Mg–0.05Ti–0.5La alloy. The main precipitate phase is Al₂LaZn₂ particles. The excellent electrochemical properties of Al–5Zn–0.03In–1Mg–0.05Ti–0.5La alloy is mainly attributed to fine grains and grain boundaries containing fine Al₂LaZn₂ precipitates. At the same time the fine grains can improve the non-uniform corrosion of Al–0.5Zn–0.03In–1Mg–0.05Ti alloy.     

High-speed machining of titanium alloys using the driven rotary tool

Machining of titanium at high cutting speeds such as from 4 m/s to 8 m/s is very challenging. In this paper, a new generation of driven rotary lathe tool was developed for high-speed machining of a titanium alloy, Ti–6Al–4V. The rotary tool was designed and fabricated based on the requirements of compact structure, sufficient stiffness and minimal edge runout. Cylindrical turning experiments were conducted using the driven rotary tool (DRT) and a stationary cutting tool with the same insert, for comparison in the high-speed machining of Ti–6Al–4V. The results showed that the DRT can significantly increase tool life. Increase in tool life of more than 60 times was achieved under certain conditions. The effects of the rotational speed of the insert were also investigated experimentally. Cutting forces were found to decline slightly with increase of the rotational speed. Tool wear appears to increase with the rotational speed in a certain speed range.     

Strong bonding of infrared brazed α2-Ti3Al and Ti–6Al–4V using Ti–Cu–Ni fillers

Infrared dissimilar brazing of α₂-Ti₃Al and Ti–6Al–4V using Ti–15Cu–25Ni and Ti–15Cu–15Ni filler metals has been performed in this study. The brazed joint consists primarily of Ti-rich and Ti₂Ni phases, and there is no interfacial phase among the braze alloy, α₂-Ti₃Al and Ti–6Al–4V substrates. The existence of the Ti₂Ni intermetallic compound is detrimental to the bonding strength of the joint. The amount of Ti₂Ni decreases with increasing brazing temperature and/or time due to the depletion of Ni content from the braze alloy into the Ti–6Al–4V substrate during brazing. The shear strength of the brazed joint free of the blocky Ti₂Ni phase is comparable with that of the α₂-Ti₃Al substrate, and strong bonding can thus be obtained.     

Thermodynamic analysis of alloys Ti–Al, Ti–V, Al–V and Ti–Al–V

Thermodynamic analysis of three binary Ti-based alloys: Ti–Al, Ti–V, and Al–V, as well as ternary alloy Ti–Al–V, is shown in this paper. Thermodynamic analysis involved thermodynamic determination of activities, coefficient of activities, partial and integral values for enthalpies and Gibbs energies of mixing and excess energies at four different temperatures: 2000, 2073, 2200 and 2273 K, as well as calculated phase diagrams for the investigated binary and ternary systems. The FactSage is used for all thermodynamic calculations.     

PCBN刀具高速切削钛合金TC4切屑形态研究

试验设计多组切削用量,采用正交试验方法,对不同切削用量参数下,PCBN刀具切削钛合金TC4的切屑形态进行研究,同时对PCBN刀具车削钛合金TC4进行二维有限元仿真,从理论上对锯齿化切屑形成原因进行分析。试验结果表明,PCBN刀具切削钛合金TC4产生的切屑存在锯齿状切屑、长条形带状切屑和弯曲旋状切屑;切削用量对切屑锯齿化存在较大的影响,表现为较小的切削用量条件下形成锯齿状切屑,随着切削用量参数变大,切屑呈现长条带状和弯曲旋状切屑;试验从周期性断裂理论和切削温度角度对切屑形态进行了分析讨论,并得到当PCBN刀具在高速下切削钛合金TC4材料时,形成的切屑并不均是锯齿状的结论。     

Microstructure and grain refining performance of a new Al–Ti–C–B master alloy

A kind of Al–Ti–C–B master alloy with a uniform microstructure is prepared using a melt reaction method. It is found that the average grain size of α-Al can be reduced from 3500 to 170 μm by the addition of 0.2 wt.% of the prepared Al–5Ti–0.3C–0.2B and the refining efficiency does not fade obviously within 60 min. It is considered that the TiC_xB_y and TiB_2−mC_n particles found at the grain center are the effective and stable nucleating substrates for α-Al during solidification, which accounts for the good grain refining performance.     

High-speed milling of titanium alloys using binderless CBN tools

The performance of conventional tools is poor when used to machine titanium alloys. In this paper, a new tool material, which is binderless cubic boron nitride (BCBN), is used for high-speed milling of a widely used titanium alloy Ti–6Al–4V. The performance and the wear mechanism of the BCBN tool have been investigated when slot milling the titanium alloy in terms of cutting forces, tool life and wear mechanism. This type of tool manifests longer tool life at high cutting speeds. Observations based on the SEM and EDX suggest that adhesion of workpiece and attrition are the main wear mechanisms of the BCBN tool when used in high-speed milling of Ti–6Al–4V.     

A novel Al–Ti–B alloy for grain refining Al–Si foundry alloys

Al–Ti–B refiners with excess-Ti (Ti:B > 2.2) perform adequately for wrought aluminium alloys but they are not as efficient in the case of foundry alloys. Silicon, which is abundant in the latter, forms silicides with Ti and severely impairs the potency of TiB₂ and Al₃Ti particles. Hence, Al–Ti–B alloys with excess-B (Ti:B < 2.2) and binary Al–B alloys are favored to grain refine hypoeutectic Al–Si alloys. These grain refiners rely on the insoluble (Al,Ti)B₂ or AlB₂ particles for grain refinement, and thus do not enjoy the growth restriction provided by solute Ti. It would be very attractive to produce excess-B Al–Ti–B alloys which additionally contain Al₃Ti particles to maximize their grain refining efficiency for aluminium foundry alloys. A powder metallurgy process was employed to produce an experimental Al–3Ti–3B grain refiner which contains both the insoluble AlB₂ and the soluble Al₃Ti particles. Inoculation of a hypoeutectic Al–Si foundry alloy with this grain refiner has produced a fine equiaxed grain structure across the entire section of the test sample which was more or less retained for holding times up to 15 min.     

Microstructural changes and estimated strengthening contributions in a gamma alloy Ti–45Al–5Nb pack-rolled sheet

Thin sheets made of a gamma-titanium aluminide alloy, Ti–45Al–5Nb, produced by a pack-rolling process, were evaluated for microstructure variation and evolution taking place during aging and annealing treatments. The as-received sheet material was characterized by remarkably high yield strength, 810 MPa, and a complex bimodal microstructure. The microstructure consisted of a matrix of twinned gamma-phase grains and fine-lath lamellar grain microconstituent, together with a dispersed ultra-fine-grained gamma + alpha-2 mixture microconstituent. High-temperature isothermal aging treatments changed the microstructure to a stable mixture of gamma-phase grains (matrix) and coarse alpha-2-phase particles, having size distributions and volume fractions that were specific to the aging temperature. A concurrent strength loss reflects this trend and results in a stable strength level of 550 MPa upon aging at 1000 °C for 144 h. Using composition estimates from the phase-boundary shifts that occur from the Nb addition to a Ti–45Al base alloy and, the rule of mixtures, an analysis was made to show that the gamma-phase matrix has an intrinsic strength of 178 MPa. This is a significant intrinsic strength level, well over that of 70 MPa for the Ti–45Al binary alloy. This is rationalized as the solid-solution strengthening effect from shifts of the Ti and Nb levels in the gamma phase and, by an added effect due to increased oxygen solubility in the gamma phase. The overall strength of Ti–45Al–5Nb, however, is roughly the same as that of Ti–45Al, and this is explained by a drastic reduction in the volume fraction of alpha-2-phase in Ti–45Al–5Nb alloy, which is a result of the Nb-induced phase-boundary shifts.     

An analytical model to predict specific shear energy in high-speed turning of Inconel 718

Machining of Inconel 718 at higher cutting speeds is expected to provide some relief from the machining difficulties. Therefore, to understand the material behavior at higher cutting speeds, this paper presents an analytical model that predicts specific shearing energy of the work material in shear zone. It considers formation of shear bands that occur at higher cutting speeds during machining, along with the elaborate evaluation of the effect of strain, strain rate, and temperature dependence of the shear flow stress using Johnson–Cook equation. The model also considers the ‘size-effect’ in machining in terms of occurrence of ‘ploughing forces’ during machining. The theoretical results show that the shear band spacing in chip formation increases linearly with an increase in the feedrate and is of the order of 0.2–0.9 mm depending upon the processing conditions. The model shows excellent agreement with the experimental values with an error between 0.5% and 7% for various parametric conditions.     

Characteristics of cutting forces and chip formation in machining of titanium alloys

Chip formation during dry turning of Ti6Al4V alloy has been examined in association with dynamic cutting force measurements under different cutting speeds, feed rates and depths of cut. Both continuous and segmented chip formation processes were observed in one cut under conditions of low cutting speed and large feed rate. The slipping angle in the segmented chip was 55°, which was higher than that in the continuous chip (38°). A cyclic force was produced during the formation of segmented chips and the force frequency was the same as the chip segmentation frequency. The peak of the cyclic force when producing segmented chips was 1.18 times that producing the continuous chip.The undeformed surface length in the segmented chip was found to increase linearly with the feed rate but was independent of cutting speed and depth of cut. The cyclic force frequency increased linearly with cutting speed and decreased inversely with feed rate. The cutting force increased with the feed rate and depth of cut at constant cutting speed due to the large volume of material being removed. The increase in cutting force with increasing cutting speed from 10 to 16 and 57 to 75 m/min was attributed to the strain rate hardening at low and high strain rates, respectively. The decrease in cutting force with increasing cutting speed outside these speed ranges was due to the thermal softening of the material. The amplitude variation of the high-frequency cyclic force associated with the segmented chip formation increased with increasing depth of cut and feed rate, and decreased with increasing cutting speed from 57 m/min except at the cutting speeds where harmonic vibration of the machine occurs.     

High-throughput drilling of titanium alloys

Experiments of high-throughput drilling of Ti–6Al–4V at 183 m/min cutting speed and 156 mm³/s material removal rate (MRR) using a 4 mm diameter WC–Co spiral point drill were conducted. The tool material and geometry and drilling process parameters, including cutting speed, feed, and fluid supply, were studied to evaluate the effect on drill life, thrust force, torque, energy, and burr formation. The tool wear mechanism, hole surface roughness, and chip light emission and morphology for high-throughput drilling were investigated. Supplying the cutting fluid via through-the-drill holes has proven to be a critical factor for drill life, which can be increased by 10 times compared to that of dry drilling at 183 m/min cutting speed and 0.051 mm/rev feed. Under the same MRR of 156 mm³/s with a doubled feed of 0.102 mm/rev (91 m/min cutting speed), over 200 holes can be drilled. The balance of cutting speed and feed is essential to achieve long drill life and good hole surface roughness. This study demonstrates that, using proper drilling process parameters, spiral point drill geometry, and fine-grained WC–Co tool material, the high-throughput drilling of Ti alloy is technically feasible.     

PCBN刀具切削中锯齿形切屑形态的动态切削力识别

精密硬态切削过程锯齿形切屑对动态切削力、切削温度波动、PCBN刀具寿命和已加工表面质量有重要作用。本文依据锯齿形切屑锯齿的形成和终了过程可以在动态切削力高频信号中体现出来的特征，采用小波分析硬态切削力的高频信号，分析结果表明不同形态的锯齿形切屑形态对应不同的切削力高频信号。从切削力高频信号的切削速度、进给量、采样频率和时间可以定性描述锯齿形切屑形态和剪切失稳的特征参数。依据Shaw建立的锯齿形生成频率模型。在精密硬态切削条件下，锯齿形切屑的生成频率要远小于切削力高频信号的频率，高速切削条件下两者频率逐渐趋于相等。实验及分析结果表明可以采用动态切削力的小波分析来判别锯齿形切屑的基本特征。     

Chip geometries during high-speed machining for orthogonal cutting conditions

The originality of this work consists in taking photographs of chips during the cutting process for a large range of speeds. Contrary to methods usually used such as the quick stop in which root chips are analyzed after an abrupt interruption of the cutting, the proposed process photographs the chip geometry during its elaboration. An original device reproducing perfectly orthogonal cutting conditions is used because it allows a good accessibility to the zone of machining and reduces considerably the vibrations found in conventional machining tests. A large range of cutting velocities is investigated (from 17 to 60 m/s) for a middle hard steel (French Standards XC18). The experimental measures of the root chip geometry, more specifically the tool-chip contact length and the shear angle, are obtained from an analysis of the pictures obtained with a numerical high-speed camera. These geometrical characteristics of chips are studied for various cutting speeds, at the three rake angles −5, 0, +5° and for different depths of cut reaching 0.65 mm.     

In situ impedance spectroscopy study of the electrochemical corrosion of Ti and Ti–6Al–4V in simulated body fluid at 25 °C and 37 °C

The corrosion resistance of Ti and Ti–6Al–4V was investigated through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, EIS, potentiodynamic polarisation curves and UV–Vis spectrophotometry. The tests were done in Hank solution at 25 °C and 37 °C. The EIS measurements were done at the open circuit potential at specific immersion times. An increase of the resistance as a function of the immersion time was observed, for Ti (at 25 °C and 37 °C), and for Ti–6Al–4V (at 25 °C), which was interpreted as the formation and growth of a passive film on the metallic surfaces.