Tool life performance of coated carbide tool on titanium alloy extra low interstitials

Abstract

The Titanium alloys (Ti-6Al-4V) has been employed in a variety of applications, particularly in the aerospace, automotive, medical and chemical industries, primarily because of its high strength to weight ratio, high resistance to fracture, and exceptional anti-corrosion property. However, Ti- 6Al-4V cannot be easily machined even at a high temperature as it has a low thermal conductivity and low elastic modulus, and may react chemically with the coating on the cutting tool. The objective of this study was to investigate the cutting tool life performance in the turning of Ti-6Al-4V Extra Low Interstitials (ELI) using a Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) carbide cutting tool in dry conditions. The Factorial method was used as the basis for the experimental design of this study. A factorial design with two levels was chosen for the arrangement of the cutting parameters, which comprised a cutting speed of between 100 to 140 m/min, a feed rate of between 0.15 to 0.20 mm/rev, and a fixed depth of cut of 0.35 mm. A three-axis microscope was used to measure the flank wear for every 20 mm on the workpiece until the ISO criterion was arrived at by the flank wear (Vb). The results indicated that the maximum tool life of 20.68 minutes was achieved at a cutting speed of 100 m/min and a feed rate of 0.15 mm/rev.