Design and experimental study of an end effector for robotic drilling

This paper presents the development of a drill end effector for use on industrial robots. The end effector has low weight and high rigidity. The drill end effector is fully programmable and will realize different drilling mode. The real-time force feedback can detect dull or broken bits, drill to breakthrough, and plot thrust force while drilling. Additionally, the end effector can also be equipped with a coolant/lubricant device. Based on the drill end effector, an experimental study on dry drilling of Ti-6Al-4V alloy and 7075-T6 alloy bimetal stacks was performed by using an uncoated cemented carbide drill. The hole quality (hole size, surface roughness) and thrust force were evaluated at various spindle speeds, feed rates, stacking sequence, and clamp force. This study indicates that the spindle speed and feed rate have an effect on the hole quality and thrust force by means of changing the temperature and plastic deformation of cutting zone. The results show that drilling 7075-T6 alloy firstly would be most efficient because of the high hole quality and the low thrust force. It was also found that high clamp force is helpful to improve the hole quality.     

钛合金TC4的钻削力试验研究

钛合金TCA属于较难加工材料,其小孔钻削尤为困难。为得到钻头直径、钻削参数（进给量、切削速度）和刀具材料对钻削力的影响规律,采用标准高速钢钻头对TCA与45钢进行了钻削对比试验,并用多元线性回归分析模型分别建立了扭矩和轴向力的经验公式。结果表明,TC4的钻削力比45钢大,钻削参数对钻削力的影响规律与45钢基本相同,即钻头直径对扭矩和轴向力影响最大,进给量次之,切削速度的影响最小。     

Normal load effects in fretting fatigue of titanium and aluminum alloys

Normal pressure in the fretting fatigue process is one external variable that affects structural component life and its effect is relatively easy to study under controlled laboratory conditions. Consequently, specimens of Ti-6Al-4V (MA) and aluminum 7075-T6 were tested under varying normal pressure conditions to evaluate its effect on these two important materials.The results show that Ti-6Al-4V (MA) (mixed h.c.p. and b.c.c. structure) and aluminum (f.c.c. structure) behave differently under similar normal pressure conditions. The aluminum undergoes significant life reduction from fretting damage but appears to be insensitive to normal load changes. On the other hand, the life dependency of the titanium to fretting damage is very sensitive to normal pressure. This phenomenon is explained in terms of local crystallographic effects and microscopic variations in toughness of the two materials.     

基于变弹性模量的Ti-6Al-4V板材五点弯曲回弹预测

Ti-6Al-4V钛合金材料在弯曲成形过程中会产生较大的回弹,其弹性模量对回弹影响较大,但以往研究均未考虑材料塑性应变变化过程中弹性模量的变化。以Ti-6Al-4V钛合金为对象,进行了材料的单轴拉伸实验和循环加载卸载实验,以揭示材料各向异性参数及材料弹性模量随塑性应变变化的规律,在此基础上建立了Ti-6Al-4V钛合金变弹性模量数学模型。基于YLD2000-2D屈服准则及变弹性模量和Mises各向同性两种不同的本构模型,对常温下Ti-6Al-4V钛合金板材的五点弯曲过程进行了数值模拟,为了验证数值模拟结果,进行了常温下Ti-6Al-4V板材的五点弯曲实验,结果显示,前者显著提高了Ti-6Al-4V钛合金弯曲回弹预测精度,预测精度相比后者提高了31.18%。     

Finite elastic and plastic deformations of pulse loaded structures by an extended mode technique

A scheme for estimating maximum transient and permanent deflections of a pulse-loaded structure is outlined and applied to fully clamped beams of mild steel, titanium alloy 6Al-4V, and aluminum alloys 7075-T6 and 6061-T651. The method makes use of concepts of the mode approximation technique[1] and extends previously proposed schemes[2, 3]. Comparisons are made with deflections measured in tests[4–6] as well as with predictions from rigid-plastic mode analyses and from numerical solutions.     

不同摩擦副条件下Ti-6Al-4V合金的微磨粒磨损行为

采用TE66微磨粒磨损实验机对医用Ti-6Al-4V钛合金在不同摩擦副条件下的微磨粒磨损行为进行研究,考察滑行距离、载荷对其微磨粒磨损的影响,通过观察磨斑形貌,分析其磨损机制。研究结果表明:Ti-6Al-4V合金的磨损量随滑移距离和载荷增加而增加,磨损率则相反,并且硬度较高的Si3N4陶瓷球对合金造成的磨损量和磨损率均低于ZrO2陶瓷球;在不同摩擦副条件下,随着滑行距离和载荷的增加,Ti-6Al-4V合金的磨损机制均由三体磨损转变为二三体混合磨损,所不同的是与Si3N4陶瓷球对摩时合金的混合磨损区域要少于与ZrO2陶瓷球对摩时。     

Modeling and optimization of burr height in drilling of Al-7075 using Taguchi method and response surface methodology

This investigation presents the use of Taguchi and response surface methodologies for minimizing the burr height and the surface roughness in drilling Al-7075. The Taguchi method, a powerful tool to design optimization for quality, is used to find optimal cutting parameters. Response surface methodology is useful for modeling and analyzing engineering problems. The purpose of this paper was to investigate the influence of cutting parameters, such as cutting speed and feed rate, and point angle on burr height and surface roughness produced when drilling Al-7075. A plan of experiments, based on L₂₇ Taguchi design method, was performed drilling with cutting parameters in Al-7075. All tests were run without coolant at cutting speeds of 4, 12, and 20 m/min and feed rates of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 mm/rev and point angle of 90^°, 118°, and 135°. The orthogonal array, signal-to-noise ratio, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were employed to investigate the optimal drilling parameters of Al-7075. From the analysis of means and ANOVA, the optimal combination levels and the significant drilling parameters on burr height and surface roughness were obtained. The optimization results showed that the combination of low cutting speed, low feed rate, and high point angle is necessary to minimize burr height. The best results of the surface roughness were obtained at lower cutting speed and feed rates while at higher point angle. The predicted values and measured values are quite close to each other; therefore, this result indicates that the developed models can be effectively used to predict the burr height and the surface roughness on drilling of Al-7075.     

电弧离子镀沉积TiN/AlN-TiAlN复合膜的耐磨性

采用高纯铝、钛靶材,通过电弧离子镀工艺在TC4基材上沉积制备了TiN/AlN-TiAlN复合多层膜,用HV-1000型显微硬度计测试了膜层的硬度,用球盘磨损试验对比研究了膜层和基材的耐磨性。结果表明:膜层硬度为2856HV,耐磨性相比基材提高6倍以上。     

HOLE MAKING USING BALL HELICAL MILLING ON TITANIUM ALLOYS

In this article, results of helical ball milling for hole making on Ti-6Al-4V alloy are presented and compared with drilling. Two different machining strategies were tested with a ball end mill. In the first strategy only a helical milling path was used to achieve the nominal diameter. The second strategy has two stages; first, helical milling considering a diameter 50 µm below the nominal, and second, the tool flank of the ball end mill were used to remove the stock left with a single contouring operation. Experimental tests were performed taking into account the process time, final quality of holes, hole diameter, roughness and burr formation at tool entrance and exit. With helical milling two advantages were concluded: the process is versatile because one tool is suitable for a range of diameters and negligible burrs are produced. However hardness in the zones close to hole internal surfaces machined with the ball end mill tool decreases with respect to twist drilling. The information obtained from this research work defines suitable cutting parameters for the helical milling process in the titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V with ball end mills.     

Experimental study on fabrication and evaluation of a micro-scale shaft grinding tool

This paper presents a micro-grinding experiment on AISI 1020 steel and Ti-6Al-4V to study micro-grinding principle and the change rule of the force and surface with different grinding parameters. A novel micro shaft grinding tool is fabricated by cold sprayed with CBN grains, the manufacturing is carried out on a desktop micro machine developed by NEU. Influences caused by particle size on surface quality has been discussed, it has been tested that low surface roughness could be achieved on 3000 particle size of micro shaft grinding tool, the roughness of AISI 1020 steel accomplished in the experiment is about 0.086 μm. Measured micro-grinding force of Ti-6Al-4V decreases with the increasing spindle speed and the decreasing cutting depth. The surface roughness decreases with the increasing spindle speed and the decreasing feed rate. The minimum surface roughness is 325 nm with the spindle speed of 48000 r/min and the feed rate of 20 μm/s.     

The Tribological Behavior of a Ti-46Al-2Cr-2Nb Alloy Under Liquid Paraffine Lubrication

The tribological behavior of a Ti-46Al-2Cr-2Nb alloy prepared by hot-pressed sintering was investigated under liquid paraffine lubrication against AISI 52100 steel ball in ambient environment and at varying loads and sliding speeds. For comparison, the tribological behavior of a common Ti-6Al-4V alloy was also examined under the same testing conditions. The worn surfaces of the two alloys were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope. The friction coefficient of the Ti-46Al-2Cr-2Nb alloy in the range of 0.13–0.18 was significantly lower than that of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy (0.4–0.5), but comparable to that under dry sliding, which indicated that TiAl intermetallics could be more effectively lubricated by liquid paraffine than titanium alloys. Applied load and sliding speed have little effect on the friction coefficient of the Ti-46Al-2Cr-2Nb alloy. The wear rate of the Ti-46Al-2Cr-2Nb alloy was about 45–120 times lower than that of Ti-6Al-4V alloy owing to Ti-6Al-4V alloy could not be lubricated effectively. The wear rate of the Ti-46Al-2Cr-2Nb alloy increased with increasing applied load, but decreased slightly at first and then increased with increasing sliding speed. The wear mechanism of the Ti-46Al-2Cr-2Nb intermetallics under liquid paraffine lubrication was dominated by main plowing and slight flaking-off, but that of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy was plastic deformation and severe delamination.     

Analysis of temperature changes on the twist drill under different drilling conditions based on Taguchi method during dry drilling of Al 7075-T651

In this work, effects of drilling parameters (drilling depth, feed rate, and spindle speed) on the twist drill bit temperature and thrust force in the dry drilling of Al 7075-T651 material were experimentally investigated. During dry drilling experiments, drill bit temperature and thrust forces were measured. Drill temperatures were measured by inserting standard thermocouples through the coolant (oil) hole of TiN/TiAlN- coated carbide drills. The settings of drilling parameters were determined by using the Taguchi experimental design method. An orthogonal array, the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio, and the analysis of variance (ANOVA) are employed to analyze the effect of drilling parameters. The objective was to establish a model using multiple regression analysis between spindle speed, drilling depth, feed rate, and drilling method with the drill bit temperature and thrust force in a Al 7075-T651 alloy material. The study shows that the Taguchi method is suitable to solve the problems with a minimum number of trials as compared with a full factorial design .     

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.     

Experimental investigation of top burr formation in high-speed micro-end milling of titanium alloy

ABSTRACT

Superalloys with burr-free parts are most preferably used in biomedical, aerospace, marine and automotive applications. In order to reduce the global pollution content, industries strive to execute stringent green manufacturing technologies. There is a need to investigate the different available tools in high-speed micro-milling process to achieve desired burr free with good surface finish on super alloys without using traditional coolants. In machining of titanium and its alloys, because of low thermal conductivity and reactivity with tool materials instigate the burr formation on work material and lowers the tool performance. The main objective of this article is to investigate the top burr formation in high-speed micro-end milling of alpha + beta-titanium alloy-grade 23 ELI (Ti-6Al-4V) under dry cutting conditions using Uncoated and physical vapor deposition coated AlTiN, TiAlN tungsten carbide end mills. Machining performance of the three cutting tools was compared. From the comparison of cutting tools for machining titanium alloy-grade 23, it is found that coated TiAlN tools produce less burr formation than coated AlTiN and uncoated tungsten carbide tools.     

Fibre laser welding of dissimilar alloys of Ti-6Al-4V and Inconel 718 for aerospace applications

Challenges in dissimilar materials welding are the differences of physical and chemical properties between welding materials and the formation of intermetallic brittle phases resulting in the degradation of mechanical properties of welds. However, dissimilar materials welding is increasingly demanded from the industry as it can effectively reduce material costs and improve the design. In aerospace applications, Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy and Inconel 718 nickel alloy have been widely used because of their superior corrosion resistance and mechanical properties. In this study, a single-mode continuous-wave fibre laser was used in butt welding of Ti-6Al-4V to Inconel 718. Investigations including metallurgical and mechanical examinations were carried out by means of varying processing parameters, such as laser power, welding speed and the laser beam offset position from the interface of the metals. Simple analytical modelling analysis was undertaken to explain the phenomena that occurred in this process. Results showed that the formation of intermetallic brittle phases and welding defects could be effectively restricted at welding conditions produced by the combination of higher laser power, higher welding speed and shifting the laser beam from the interface to the Inconel 718 alloy side. The amount of heat input and position of laser beam to improve the Ti-6Al-4V/Inconel 718 weld quality are suggested.     

Determination of the friction factor of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy in hot forging by means of ring-compression test using FEM

The friction factor of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy under hot forging situation was determined by the combined approach of ring-compression tests and finite element (FE) simulations. It is noticed in particular that the heat-transfer (HT) coefficient has significant effects on the metal flow and calibration curves, thereby affects the measurement of interfacial friction factor. Moreover, the HT coefficients are different for glass lubricant and dry friction conditions. Therefore, different HT coefficients should be employed to generate the calibration curves when both of the lubricant conditions were applied for determining the interfacial friction coefficients in hot ring-compression of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy.     

Determination of the friction factor of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy in hot forging by means of ring-compression test using FEM

The friction factor of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy under hot forging situation was determined by the combined approach of ring-compression tests and finite element (FE) simulations. It is noticed in particular that the heat-transfer (HT) coefficient has significant effects on the metal flow and calibration curves, thereby affects the measurement of interfacial friction factor. Moreover, the HT coefficients are different for glass lubricant and dry friction conditions. Therefore, different HT coefficients should be employed to generate the calibration curves when both of the lubricant conditions were applied for determining the interfacial friction coefficients in hot ring-compression of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy.     

Electric hot incremental forming of Ti-6Al-4V titanium sheet

Electric hot incremental forming of metal sheet is a new technique that is feasible and easy to control to form hard-to-form sheet metals. In the present study, Ti-6Al-4V titanium sheet was studied because it was wildly used in the aeronautics and astronautics industries. Although Ti-6Al-4V titanium can be well-formed in high temperature, the surface quality is a problem. In order to enhance the surface quality, it is very important to select the proper lubricant. At the same time, because Ti-6Al-4V titanium has a lively chemical property, it is very important to choose a processing temperature range in order to acquire excellent plastic property and to prevent oxidation. Various lubricants were selected in processing to compare the effect, and some workpieces were formed at different temperatures to find the best forming temperature. The results show that using the lubricant film of nickel matrix with MoS₂ self-lubricating material, Ti-6Al-4V titanium workpiece was formed with high surface quality, and the optimum thickness of composite coating is 20 μm for Ti-6Al-4V titanium sheet of 1.0-mm thickness. In fact, the lubricant film also does help to prevent oxidation of Ti-6Al-4V titanium sheet. The appropriate temperature range of Ti-6Al-4V forming with slightly oxidized is 500–600°C in processing, and the maximum draw angle formed in this range was 72°.     

Tribological Behaviour of Orthopaedic Ti-13Nb-13Zr and Ti-6Al-4V Alloys

The aim of this study is to compare the tribological behaviour of novel orthopaedic implant alloy Ti-13Nb-13Zr with that of the standard Ti-6Al-4V ELI alloy, available in four different microstructural conditions produced by variations in the heat treatments. The friction and wear tests were performed by using a block-on-disc tribometer in Ringer’s solution at ambient temperature with a normal load of 20–60 N and sliding speed of 0.26–1.0 m/s. It was found that variations in microstructures produced significant variations in the wear resistance of Ti-6Al-4V ELI alloy. The wear losses of materials solution treated (ST) above the β transus temperature are significantly lower compared with those of materials ST in the (α + β) phase field and are almost insensitive to applied load and sliding speed. Wear loss of the (α + β) ST Ti-6Al-4V ELI alloy continuously increased as applied load was increased and was highest at the highest sliding speed. The Ti-6Al-4V ELI alloy in all microstructural conditions possesses a much better wear resistance than cold-rolled Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy. Friction results and morphology of worn surfaces showed that the observed behaviour is attributed to the predominant wear damage mechanism.     

Superplastic-like forming of Ti-6Al-4V alloy

Superplastic forming of titanium alloys is used for producing structural components, since it is an effective way to manufacture complex-shaped parts in a one-step operation. An optimized sheet-forming process has been designed incorporating a non-isothermal heating system to establish a fast forming process. This work sought to expand the advantages of the technology to the forming of Ti-6Al-4V alloy at 800 °C and shorter cycle time. The minimum thicknesses area was found at the outward corners, showing a maximum percent thinning of 54 %. In addition to stress variations, the cracks resulting from hot drawing and the oxidation on the sheet surface are the other reasons leading to thickness reduction. From the oxidization behavior of Ti-6Al-4V alloy, it was revealed that the decrease in forming temperature from 900 to 800 °C significantly reduced the formation rate of oxide film on the sheet surface. The study also showed that the main microstructure evolution of Ti-6Al-4V alloy under these conditions was recrystallization.