On Machinability of Titanium Grade 4 under Minimum Quantity Lubrication Assisted High Speed Machining

Abstract

The wonder metal Titanium and its alloys are prime candidate for various automotive, biomedical and aerospace applications due to their good strength-to-weight ratio, bio-compatibility and corrosion resistance. Titanium and its alloys are known as difficult-to-machine materials i.e. their machining is challenging. The experimental work reported in the present paper attempts to enhance the machinability of Titanium Grade 4 under the influence of minimum quantity lubrication at high speed conditions. In this work a total of twenty seven experiments has been conducted based on full factorial design of experiment technique. Cutting speed, feed rate, and depth of cut are varied at three levels each and the values of important MQL parameters are fixed. The effects of machining parameters on surface roughness are discussed. Machining at optimum combination of parameters resulted in precision finish with maximum roughness value 2.16 μm and maximum tool flank wear value 0.201 mm. The research results reveal the superiority of MQL over conventional wet cooling to successfully machine Titanium Grade 4 at high speed conditions with sustainability.