Machining of Titanium Alloy (Ti-6Al-4V)—Theory to Application

This article correlates laboratory-based understanding in machining of titanium alloys with the industry based outputs and finds possible solutions to improve machining efficiency of titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V. The machining outputs are explained based on different aspects of chip formation mechanism and practical issues faced by industries during titanium machining. This study also analyzed and linked the methods that effectively improve the machinability of titanium alloys. It is found that the deformation mechanism during machining of titanium alloys is complex and causes basic challenges, such as sawtooth chips, high temperature, high stress on cutting tool, high tool wear and undercut parts. These challenges are correlated and affected by each other. Sawtooth chips cause variation in cutting forces which results in high cyclic stress on cutting tools. On the other hand, low thermal conductivity of titanium alloy causes high temperature. These cause a favorable environment for high tool wear. Thus, improvements in machining titanium alloy depend mainly on overcoming the complexities associated with the inherent properties of this alloy. Vibration analysis kit, high pressure coolant, cryogenic cooling, thermally enhanced machining, hybrid machining and, use of high conductive cutting tool and tool holders improve the machinability of titanium alloy.     

EFFECT OF COOLANT PRESSURE,NOZZLE DIAMETER,IMPINGEMENT ANGLE AND SPOT DISTANCE IN HIGH PRESSURE COOLING WITH NEAT OIL IN TURNING Ti-6AL-4V

Though titanium alloys are being increasingly sought in a wide variety of engineering and biomedical applications, their manufacturability, especially machining and grinding imposes lot of constraints. Titanium alloys are readily machinable provided the cutting velocity is in the range of 30–60 m/min. To achieve higher productivity, if the cutting velocity is enhanced to 60–120 m/min and beyond, rapid tool wear takes place diminishing the available tool life. Tool wear in machining of titanium alloys is mainly due to high cutting zone temperature localised in the vicinity of the cutting edge and enhanced chemical reactivity of titanium with the tool material. Rapid tool wear encountered in machining of titanium alloys is a challenge that needs to be overcome. High pressure cooling in machining is a very promising technology for enhancing tool life and productivity via appropriate cooling and lubrication. The present investigation is an attempt to study the effects of jet application parameters, i.e., coolant pressure, angle of impingement of the jet, spot distance and nozzle diameter on tool wear and chip morphology and to compare the effectiveness while turning Ti-6Al-4V bars under high pressure cooling with neat oil. Results indicated that at a cutting speed of 85 m/min and feed of 0.2 mm/rev, high pressure cooling provided a tool life of 24 min vis-à-vis 12 min under cryogenic cooling.     

A comparative study of the tool–chip contact length in turning of two engineering alloys for a wide range of cutting speeds

Tool chip contact length is an important parameter in machining, as it provides an indication of the size of area of interaction between the hot chip and the tool surface and hence the interface heat transfer zone. Heat transfer and thermally activated wear modes usually dominate tool wear in the high speed machining of steels and machining of titanium alloys at most cutting speeds. In this study, existing models for the prediction of tool–chip contact length are reviewed and examined for their suitability in high speed machining of two widely used engineering alloys. Orthogonal turning tests for AISI 1045 steel and Ti6Al4V titanium alloy are conducted for a range of cutting speeds from conventional to high speeds. New contact length models are presented for both materials covering a wide range of cutting speeds. More significantly, these contact length models are appropriate for high speed machining where thermal loads significantly influence process performance. Additionally, the work discusses how the machinability of engineering materials influences the ability to predict contact length.     

高速切削加工钛合金的刀具材料

概括介绍了钛合金的性能特点,分析了钛合金切削加工困难的主要原因,重点对国内外切削加工钛合金的现状作了详细介绍,由此明确了目前国内和国外切削加工钛合金水平的差距,最后指出在国内寻求一种或几种高速切削加工钛合金刀具材料的紧迫性和必要性。     

Minimal quantity lubrication-MQL in grinding of Ti–6Al–4V titanium alloy

Titanium and its alloys are attractive materials due to their unique high strength–weight ratio that is maintained at elevated temperatures and their exceptional corrosion resistance. The major application of titanium has been in the aerospace industry. On the other hand, titanium and its alloys are notorious for their poor thermal properties and are classified as difficult-to-machine materials. The problems that arise during grinding of titanium alloys are attributed to the high specific energy and high grinding zone temperature. Significant progress has been made in dry and semidry machining recently, and minimal quantity lubrication (MQL) machining in particular has been accepted as a successful semidry application because of its environmentally friendly characteristics. A number of studies have shown that MQL machining can show satisfactory performance in practical machining operations. However, there has been few investigation of MQL grinding of special alloys like titanium alloys and the cutting fluids to be used in MQL grinding of these alloys. In this study, vegetable and synthetic esters oil are compared on the basis of the surface quality properties that would be suitable for MQL applications. The cutting performance of fluids is also evaluated using conventional wet (fluid) grinding of Ti–6Al–4V. As a result, synthetic ester oil is found to be optimal cutting fluids for MQL grinding of Ti–6Al–4V.     

Blend of sharpness and strength on a ball nose endmill geometry for high speed machining of Ti6Al4V

The applications of titanium alloys are increasingly common at marine, aerospace, bio-medical and precision engineering due to its high strength to weight ratio and high temperature-withstanding properties. However, whilst machining the titanium alloys using the solid carbide tools, even with application of high pressure coolant, reduced tool life was widely reported. The generation of high temperatures at the tool–work interface causes adhesion of work material on the cutting edges, and hence, shorter tool life was reported. In order to reduce the high tool–work interface temperature-positive rake angle, higher primary relief and higher secondary relief were configured on the ball nose endmill cutting edges. Despite of careful consideration of tool geometry, after an initial working period, the growth of flank wear accelerates the high cutting forces followed by work material adhesion on the cutting edges. Hence, it is important to blend the strength, sharpness, geometry and surface integrity on the cutting edges so that the ball nose endmill would exhibit an extended tool life. This paper illustrates the effect of ball nose endmill geometry on high speed machining of Ti6Al4V. Three different ball nose endmill geometries were configured, and high speed machining experiments were conducted to study the influence of cutting tool geometry on the metal cutting mechanism of Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The high speed machining results predominantly emphasize the significance of cutting edge features such as K-land, rake angle and cutting edge radius. The ball nose endmills featured with a short negative rake angle of value ?5° for 0.05～0.06 mm, i.e. K-land followed by positive rake angle of value 8°, has produced lower cutting forces signatures for Ti-6Al-4V alloy.     

Adhesion Wear on Tool Rake and Flank Faces in Dry Cutting of Ti-6Al-4V

Titanium alloys are very chemically reactive and,therefore,have a tendency to weld to the cutting tool during machining.The deterioration in the tool life caused by adhesion is a serious problem when titanium alloys are cut using carbide tools.The chemical reactivity of titanium alloys with carbide tool materials and their consequent welding by adhesion onto the cutting tool during dry cutting leads to excessive chipping,premature tool failure,and poor surface finish.In the present study,dry turning and milling tests were carried out on Ti-6Al-4V alloys with WC?Co carbide tools.The adhesion on the tool rake and flank face was explored,the adhesive joint interface between the workpiece materials and tools were observed.SEM observation showed that adhesion can be observed both on the rake and the flank face,and was more pronounced in rake face than in flank face.There was evidence of element diffusion from the tool rake face to the adhering layer(vice versa) through the adhesive joint interface,which leads to the tool element loss and microstructure change.While the adhering materials at the flank face can be easily separated from the joint interface owing to the lower temperature and less pressure at the flank face,the adhesive wear attack results in an abrasive wear in the flank face.Moreover,adhesion is more notable in turning than in milling.The proposed research provides references for studying the adhesion between the workpiece materials and the tools,the adhesion mechanisms and their effect on the tool wear.     

Assessment of the machinability of Ti-6Al-4V alloy using the wear map approach

The high strength to density ratio of titanium alloys coupled with excellent corrosion resistance even at elevated temperatures make them ideal for aerospace applications. Moreover, the biocompatibility of titanium also enables its widespread use in the biomedical and food processing industries. However, the difficulty in machining titanium and its alloys along with the high cost of its extraction from ore form presents a major economic constraint. In the context of machining economics, the wear map approach is very useful in identifying the most suitable machining parameters over a feedrate–cutting velocity plane. To date, wear maps have only been prepared for the machining of ferrous alloys. In this article, a review of the machinability of Ti-6Al-4V alloy is presented with emphasis on comparing the wear performance of various tool materials. In addition, a new wear map for Ti-6Al-4V alloy is presented based on unified turning tests using H13A grade carbide inserts. This wear map can be used as a guide in the selection of cutting variables that ensure the least tool wear rates. This article contrasts the occurrence of a safety zone in the case of machining steels to that of an avoidance zone for Ti-6Al-4V alloy.     

高速铣削近α钛合金的切削温度研究

切削温度不仅直接影响刀具的磨损和耐用度,而且也影响工件的加工精度和已加工表面质量。由于钛合金导热性差和化学亲和性强等原因,通常在其切削加工时切削温度高、刀具磨损严重,致使切削速度难以进一步提高。本文重点对钛合金高速铣削时的切削温度进行试验研究,阐明夹丝半人工热电偶法测温原理和所测热电势信号的物理意义。试验选用了3种不同类型的硬质合金刀具,系统地研究了切削用量、冷却条件及刀具磨损等因素对近α钛合金高速铣削时切削温度的影响。     

The Effect of Argon-Enriched Environment in High-Speed Machining of Titanium Alloy

A major factor hindering the machinability of titanium alloys is their tendency to react with most cutting tool materials, thereby encouraging solution wear during machining. Machining in an inert environment is envisaged to minimize chemical reaction at the tool-chip and tool-workpiece interfaces when machining commercially available titanium alloys at higher cutting conditions. This article presents the results of machining trials carried out with uncoated carbide (ISO K10 grade) tools in an argon-enriched environment at cutting conditions typical of finish turning operations. Comparative trials were carried out at the same cutting conditions under conventional coolant supply. Results of the machining trials show that machining in an argon-enriched environment gave lower tool life relative to conventional coolant supply. Nose wear was the dominant tool-failure mode in all the cutting conditions investigated. Argon is a poor conductor of heat; thus, heat generated during machining tends to concentrate in the cutting region and accelerate tool wear. Argon also has poor lubrication characteristics, leading to increasing friction at the cutting interfaces during machining and an increase in cutting forces required for efficient shearing of the workpiece.     

Drilling experiments on a gamma titanium aluminide obtained via electron beam melting

Gamma titanium aluminides are intermetallic structural alloys with many advantages like high temperature and oxidation resistance, low density, high specific strength, rigidity, etc. This makes them promising candidates for critical applications where both mechanical and thermal properties are required. Unfortunately, their machinability is demanding, generating low cutting life and poor surface conditions. A deeper knowledge on the machining parameters is essential for a wider application of these heat-resistant light-weight alloys in aircraft and automotive industry. In this paper, the performance of uncoated carbide drills in drilling a gamma titanium aluminide was analysed. The workpiece material was obtained via electron beam melting (EBM) process, a versatile technology for additive manufacturing of complex metal parts from metal powders. EBM is highly appealing in the field of aeroengine components, and it is particularly interesting in processing gamma titanium aluminides. Cutting performances were measured in terms of tool wear, surface roughness, dimensional and geometric errors. The experimental results show strong dependence of tool wear and part quality on cutting parameters, with poor tool life compared with other work materials.     

Machining of NiTi-shape memory alloys-A review

The emerging trends in the development of advanced smart materials with better unique properties under different environments for a particular application fascinate the researchers and industrialists. Nickel-Titanium based shape memory alloys are exotic materials due to their unique properties such as SME, SE, high damping characteristics, high corrosion and wear resistance and biocompatibility. This article presents an overview of machining processes that can be used to machine the NiTi and its surface induced characteristics such as microhardness, surface roughness, topography, induced layer, residual stress, fatigue and phase transformation. The surface integrity characteristics are discussed for machining of NiTi-SMAs under the category of traditional, non-traditional and micro-machining with the effect of input parameters such as cutting speed, feed, depth of cut, type of lubricant and type of coating material on cutting tool. The conventional machining of NiTi alloys are quite complicated due to high toughness, severe strain hardening, fatigue hardening and distinctive property of NiTi-SMAs such as pseudoelastic and shape memory effect. From this study, non-traditional process is significantly used to machine the NiTi-SMAs due to its better results on surface integrity characteristics. Consequently, future trends are also identified for machining the NiTi-SMAs and to improve the surface integrity characteristics.     

钛合金深孔钻削钻头刀片材料和几何参数的选择

这里以难加工材料钛合金为研究对象，针对钛合金材料的加工难点特性，选择目前国内相应的硬质合金材料，并优化组合出不同的钻头几何参数，进行了深孔钻削试验。通过对试验结果进行分析，确定出适合加工钛合金材料的深孔钻用刀片材料和几何参数。     

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.     

MODELING THE PHYSICS OF METAL CUTTING IN HIGH-SPEED MACHINING

Physical modeling of metal cutting was carried out to provide an understanding and prediction of machining process details. The models are based on finite element analysis (FEA), using a Lagrangian formulation with explicit dynamics. Requirements for material constitutive models are discussed in the context of high-speed machining. Model results address metal cutting characteristics such as segmented chip formation, dynamic cutting forces, unconstrained plastic flow of material during chip formation, and thermomechanical environments of the work-piece and the cutting tool. Examples are presented for aerospace aluminum and titanium alloys. The results are suited for analysis of key process issues of cutting tool performance, including tool geometry, tool sharpness, workpiece material buildup, and tool wear.     

Comparative investigation on using cryogenic machining in CNC milling of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy

Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy is one of the most important materials in industry, 80% of which is used in aerospace industry. Titanium alloys are also notoriously difficult-to-machine materials owing to their unique material properties imposing a major bottleneck in manufacturing systems. Cryogenic cooling has been acknowledged as an alternative technique in machining to improve the machinability of different materials. Although milling is considered to be the major machining operation for the manufacture of titanium components in aerospace industries, studies in cryogenic machining of titanium alloys are predominantly concentrated on turning operations. To address this gap, this article provides an investigation on the viability of cryogenic cooling in CNC end-milling of aerospace-grade Ti-6Al-4V alloy using liquid nitrogen in comparison with traditional machining environments. A series of machining experiments were conducted and surface roughness, tool life, power consumption, and specific machining energy were investigated for cryogenic milling as opposed to conventional dry and flood cooling. Analysis revealed that cryogenic machining using liquid nitrogen has the potential to significantly improve the machinability of Ti-6Al-4V alloy in CNC end-milling using solid carbide cutting tools and result in a paradigm shift in machining of titanium products. The analysis demonstrated that cryogenic cooling has resulted in almost three times increased tool life and the surface roughness was reduced by 40% in comparison with flood cooling.     

MODELING THE PHYSICS OF METAL CUTTING IN HIGH-SPEED MACHINING

ABSTRACT

Physical modeling of metal cutting was carried out to provide an understanding and prediction of machining process details. The models are based on finite element analysis (FEA), using a Lagrangian formulation with explicit dynamics. Requirements for material constitutive models are discussed in the context of high-speed machining. Model results address metal cutting characteristics such as segmented chip formation, dynamic cutting forces, unconstrained plastic flow of material during chip formation, and thermomechanical environments of the work-piece and the cutting tool. Examples are presented for aerospace aluminum and titanium alloys. The results are suited for analysis of key process issues of cutting tool performance, including tool geometry, tool sharpness, workpiece material buildup, and tool wear.     

难加工材料枪钻加工技术研究

深孔加工是机械加工领域的重要分支,在钛合金、沉淀硬化不锈钢等难加工材料的深孔加工过程中,存在加工表面质量差、刀具崩刃、磨损严重和断屑排屑困难等问题。枪钻是深孔加工领域发展最早、应用范围最广的深孔加工刀具之一,其几何结构特殊,在深孔加工中具有加工质量好、效率高、直线度好等特点。本文介绍了枪钻的主要结构及受力情况,分析了枪钻的切削加工过程及其断屑条件,通过对切屑、切削力和切削温度的研究,得到了刀具、工艺参数以及切屑对加工质量和刀具磨损的影响规律。最后以两种典型的难加工材料为代表,分析了难加工材料深孔加工的特点。研究结果对难加工材料的枪钻深孔加工具有重要的指导意义。     

Milling of gamma titanium–aluminum alloys

The present research is focused on the machinability of the gamma-TiAl alloys, also called in literature as titanium aluminides, under the milling process. In comparison with the alpha–beta alloys, the alloys solidified in the gamma phase present improved ratio between strength and density even at higher temperatures; however, hard and new machining problems appear. Currently, there is a lack of machining parameters for this kind of materials, and therefore, its inclusion in aeronautical and automotive applications is being delayed. This work summarizes the results of a testing program which offers an outlook on the cutting conditions when machining even more difficult-to-cut titanium alloys than the more spread and known structural alpha–beta alloys.     

[刀具及切削工艺]高速铣削中TaC（NbC）对硬质合金刀具磨损性能的影响

针对航空航天钛合金加工时硬质合金刀具磨损过快的难题,制备了主元素一致、微量合金碳化物TaC（NbC）含量不同的两种WC-Co基硬质合金材料。采用高温维氏硬度计检测两种材料的高温硬度和高温断裂韧性,并制备相同几何参数的立铣刀对钛合金TC4进行铣削加工试验。试验结果表明：在硬质合金中添加微量合金碳化物TaC（NbC）,可以同时提高材料的高温硬度和高温断裂韧性,在相同的切削条件下,添加微量合金碳化物TaC（NbC）的硬质合金立铣刀比未添加微量合金碳化物的立铣刀耐磨性更好,刃口断裂裂纹更少,刀具使用寿命更长,更适合航空航天钛合金材料的高速铣削加工。