Evaluation of performance of nanofluid using multiwalled carbon nanotubes for machining of Ti–6AL–4V

Machining of titanium alloys generate very high temperature in the cutting zone. This results in rapid tool wear and poor surface properties. Therefore, improvement in cutting performance in machining of titanium alloys is very much dependent on effectiveness of the cooling strategies applied. In the present work, performance of nanofluid using multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) dispersed in distilled water and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as surfactant is evaluated for turning operation on Ti–6Al–4V workpieces. Turning operations were carried out under three different conditions – dry, with conventional cutting fluid and with nanofluid. Nanofluid application was limited to 1 L/h and it was applied at the tool tip through gravity feed. Various machining responses like cutting force, surface finish and tool wear were analyzed while turning at optimum cutting parameters as 150 m/min, 0.1 mm/rev and 1 mm depth of cut. Later on, machining performance of nanofluid is confirmed at low cutting speed of 90 m/min. Nanofluid outperformed conventional cutting fluid with 34% reduction in tool wear, average 28% drop in cutting forces and 7% decrease in surface roughness at cutting speed of 150 m/min.     

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.     

Problems and solutions in machining of titanium alloys

Titanium alloys are known as difficult-to-machine materials. The problems of machining titanium are many folds which depend on types of titanium alloys. This paper investigates the underlying mechanisms of basic challenges, such as variation of chip thickness, high heat stress, high pressure loads, springback, and residual stress based on the available literature. These are responsible for higher tool wear and worse machined surface integrity. In addition, many cutting tool materials are inapt for machining titanium alloys as those materials are chemically reactive to titanium alloys under machining conditions. To address these problems, latest techniques such as application of high pressure coolant, cryogenic cooling, tap testing, thermally enhanced machining, hybrid machining, and use of high conductive cutting tool and tool holder have also been discussed and correlated. It seems that all the solutions are not yet well accepted in the industrial domain; further advancement in those fields are required to reduce the machining cost of titanium alloys.     

High-precision and high-efficiency machining of scroll compressor components

Fixed and orbiting scrolls of scroll compressor components have spiral grooves known as scroll wraps. High-precision contour milling using end mills is the best method to produce these scrolls. The aim of our present work is to recognize the mechanism of tool wear on end mills in bottom face machining and to reduce tool wear in highly efficient milling. This paper describes an effective coolant supply system to the cutting point and an appropriate tool geometry developed in the study. The following conclusions can be drawn: (1) By supplying coolant to the cutting edge through the center hole of the tool at a cutting speed of 230 m/min, the wear rate of the flank wear can be reduced to approximately 1/50 of the wear observed in conventional coolant supply. (2) The optimal back clearance angle is 5° for abrasive resistance in the turning operation. (3) By applying 5° to the back clearance angle, the wear rate of the corner edge can be reduced to 1/6 of that observed when the back clearance angle was 15°.     

Finish Machining of Nickel-Base Inconel 718 Alloy with Coated Carbide Tool under Conventional and High-Pressure Coolant Supplies

Single-point turning of Inconel 718 alloy with commercially available Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD)-coated carbide tools under conventional and high-pressure coolant supplies up to 20.3 MPa was carried out. Tool life, surface roughness (Ra), tool wear, and component forces were recorded and analyzed. The test results show that acceptable surface finish and improved tool life can be achieved when machining Inconel 718 with high coolant pressures. The highest improvement in tool life (349%) was achieved when machining with 11 MPa coolant supply pressure at higher speed conditions of 60 m · min^?1. Machining with coolant pressures in excess of 11 MPa at cutting speeds up to 40 m · min^?1 lowered tool life more than when machining under conventional coolant flow at a feed rate of 0.1 mm · rev^?1. This suggests that there is a critical coolant pressure under which the cutting tools performed better under high-pressure coolant supplies.

Cutting forces increased with increasing cutting speed due probably to reactive forces introduced by the high-pressure coolant jet. Tool wear/wear rate increased gradually with prolonged machining with high coolant pressures due to improved coolant access to the cutting interface, hence lowering cutting temperature. Nose wear was the dominant tool failure mode when machining with coated carbide tools due probably to a reduction in the chip-tool and tool-workpiece contact length/area.     

The Effect of Coolant Concentration on the Machinability of Nickel-Base, Nimonic C-263, Alloy

This paper investigates the effect of coolant concentration on tool performance when machining nickel-base, C-263, alloy with triple coated (TiN/TiCN/TiN) carbide insert at various (3–9%) coolant concentrations and under different cutting speed conditions. Tool life, tool-failure modes, wear rates, component forces and surface finish generated during machining were recorded, analyzed and used to formulate mechanisms responsible for tool wear at the cutting conditions investigated. Analysis of the recorded data shows that tool performance during machining is dependent on coolant concentration. 6% coolant concentration gave the best overall performance as effective combination of cooling and lubrication functions were achieved during machining. Increasing coolant concentration to 9% reduced tool performance due to a reduction of the tool-chip contact length area and the consequent increase in compressive stresses at the tool-chip and tool-workpiece interfaces. This action often leads to pronounced chipping of the tool cutting edge during machining. Friction coefficient between the workpiece material and substrate increases once the coating layer(s) is broken as a result of the direct contact between the tool substrate and the work material. This action increases mechanical wear of the tool, which in turn leads to a significant increase in the cutting force with negligible effect on the feed forces during machining.     

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.     

TOOL PERFORMANCE AND CHIP CONTROL WHEN MACHINING Ti6A14V AND INCONEL 901 USING HIGH PRESSURE COOLANT SUPPLY

Single point continuous turning tests were carried out on Ti6A14V and Inconel 901 using various geometries of straight grade (K20) cemented carbide inserts using a high pressure coolant jet directed at the tip of the tool where the chip is formed. Trials were also carried out using a conventional coolant supply for comparison. The test results show that improved tool life can be achieved when machining the titanium-base alloy under the high pressure coolant jet while shorter tool life was obtained when machining the nickel-base alloy. The use of high pressure coolant supply during machining generally maintains constant cutting forces and reduces the chip-tool contact length, thus increasing stresses at the tool edge. This behavior tends to accelerate notching that is predominant when machining the Inconel 901 alloy, resulting in shorter tool life. This effect is not obvious when machining Ti6Ai4V where the tools failed mainly due to excessive flank wear. Effective chip control was achieved when machining both materials because of the cyclic fragmentation mechanism of the newly generated chip.     

Effect of Chilled Air on Machining Performance in End Milling

Flood coolant is customarily used to increase tool life and to improve workpiece surface finish in machining. It is also responsible for some adverse effects on the environment and users’ health, and hence the interest in chilled air assisted machining as an alternative to flood coolant. The effect of chilled air on machining performance was carried out using an end-milling operation on ASSAB 718HH mould steel using uncoated tungsten carbide inserts at different depths of cut, feedrates and cutting speeds under three different lubrication modes, i.e. chilled air, conventional coolant, and dry cutting. The relative performance of these modes is evaluated in terms of tool wear, surface finish, cutting force, and quality of the chips. Lower tool wear was observed using chilled air compared to that for the conventional flood coolant at a lower depth of cut, lower feedrate and lower cutting speed. The surface roughness was found to reduce at higher depths of cut, higher feedrates and higher cutting speeds for chilled air as compared to dry cutting and flood coolant. It is also observed that the cutting force experienced with chilled air is comparable and, in many cases, lower than that when using flood coolant. Stress lines on the chip surfaces show that the chips experienced the highest shear stress in dry cutting, followed by cutting with chilled air and lastly, with flood coolant.     

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.     

Effect of High-Pressure Coolant Supplies when Machining Nickel-Base,Inconel 718, Alloy with Ceramic Tools

Chip breakability is significantly improved with the use of high pressure coolant supply. This is a result of the reduction in the tool-chip contact length during machining as the coolant under high pressure lifts the chip up after passing the deformation zone. Increasing the coolant pressure results in shorter ceramic tool life when machining Inconel 718 suggesting that the high pressure coolant supply reduces temperature at the cutting zone below a critical level where ceramic tools can perform satisfactorily. The inadequate fracture toughness of ceramic tools makes them more susceptible to failure by mechanical action such as notching at the depth of cut line and premature fracture. The notch wear rate increases with higher coolant supply pressure due to significant erosion of the tool material by the high pressure coolant jet. This mechanically related failure mode occurs on a random basis leading to inconsistency in tool performance, accelerated by fluctuations in thermal and mechanical properties when machining under high pressure coolant supplies.     

Cutting forces and wear in dry machining of Inconel 718 with coated carbide tools

In the machining of heat resistant super alloys used in aeronautical applications and classified as difficult-to-machine materials, the consumption of cooling lubricant during the machining operations is very important. The associated costs of coolant acquisition, use, disposal and washing the machined components are significant, up to four times the cost of consumable tooling used in the cutting operations. To reduce the costs of production and to make the processes environmentally safe, the goal of the aeronautical manufacturers is to move toward dry cutting by eliminating or minimising cutting fluids. This goal can be achieved by using coated carbide tools at high cutting speeds. To achieve this goal, different coated tools and different cutting conditions were tested in dry conditions. The elementary orthogonal cutting process was chosen, the cutting and feed cutting forces components were measured and the cutting force ratio calculated. This ratio is shown to be as an interesting indicator of tool wear. The tool wear mechanisms tool were analysed by using white light interferometer and scanning electron microscopy coupled to an energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy EDS-system. The EDS was very useful to analyse the elements deposited on the cutting tool faces. The ability of the different coatings to increase the carbide tool performance were analysed, the main wear modes were depicted. An optimisation of the cutting conditions was finally proposed and the efficiency of the coatings was shown. The results coming from uncoated tools were compared with those obtained with coated tools under the same conditions of machining. At the end, a choice of coatings is proposed and an extension of this study to an industrial machining operation is presented for future developments.     

Tool wear and chip analysis after the hard turning of AISI D6 steel assisted by LN2

Abstract

Sustainability is a concept which is widely considered nowadays, including in factories where machining operations are present. The search for methods able to improve the performance of industrial processes without damaging the environment or the worker’s health has been the main goal of several investigations. In this context, cryogenic machining is a technique that has been studied as an alternative to the use of mineral oil-based cutting fluids, mainly in the machining of titanium and nickel alloys. Investigations on the cryogenic machining of hard tool steels are still scarce in the literature. This article presents results from a series of turning trials under dry and cryogenic conditions using a hardened AISI D6 tool steel bar (57 HRC) as the workpiece. For the cryogenic machining tests, liquid nitrogen was delivered to the flank face, rake face and on both faces of PCBN inserts. The main cutting parameters (cutting speed, feed rate, and depth of cut) were kept constant during the trials. Tool wear and chip morphology were the output variables studied. The results show that the liquid nitrogen was able to reduce the cutting tool wear, providing a tool lifetime around 50% longer compared with the dry process. Moreover, the frequency of chip segmentation was diminished under cryogenic conditions in comparison with the dry process.     

Investigation of surface integrity in dry machining of Inconel 718

Machining of advanced aerospace materials have grown in the recent years although the diffucult-to-machine characteristics of alloys like titanium or nickel-based alloys cause higher cutting forces, rapid tool wear, and more heat generation. Therefore, machining with the use of cooling lubricants is usually carried out. To reduce the production costs and to make the processes environmentally safe, the goal is to move toward dry cutting by eliminating cutting fluids. This objective can be achieved by using coated tool, by increasing cutting speed, and by improving the product performance in term of surface integrity and product quality. The paper addresses the effects of cutting speed and feed on the surface integrity during dry machining of Inconel 718 alloy using coated tools. In particular, the influence of the cutting conditions on surface roughness, affected layer, microhardness, grain size, and microstructural alteration was investigated. Results show that cutting conditions have a significant effect on the parameters related to the surface integrity of the product affecting its overall performance.     

液氮冷却下大进给铣削TC4钛合金的试验研究

钛合金是现代飞行器的主要结构材料之一,是一种典型的难加工材料。针对切削加工钛合金时刀具磨损快、表面质量不易控制等难题,将TC4钛合金作为研究对象,以液氮作为冷却介质,进行了TC4钛合金的大进给铣削试验,测试了液氮冷却条件下大进给铣削TC4钛合金的铣削力、铣削温度以及刀具磨损等,并与乳化液和低温冷风条件下的测试结果进行了对比分析。结果表明:在以较大的切削速度和每齿进给量铣削TC4钛合金时,采用液氮冷却比使用乳化液能更有效地降低切削力和切削温度;比采用低温冷风冷却能更有效地延长刀具寿命。     

钛合金高速旋转超声椭圆振动侧铣削切屑特征和刀具磨损研究

难加工材料钛合金在采用传统铣削方式时,随着切削速度的增加,切削力和切削温度都迅速增加,使得切削条件恶化并加速刀具磨损,从而导致刀具过早失效。将超声椭圆振动加工技术引入到高速铣削中,进行了钛合金高速旋转超声椭圆振动侧铣削试验。从切屑特征以及刀具后刀面磨损两个方面研究了高速超声椭圆振动铣削参数匹配对钛合金加工的影响。首先基于高速超声椭圆振动铣削过程中刀具-工件的运动学特点推导出高速超声椭圆振动铣削加工参数与振动参数间的匹配关系,然后利用本实验室自行研制的超声椭圆振动铣削装置进行了不同参数匹配关系下的验证性切削试验。试验结果表明：合理的参数匹配使得超声椭圆振动铣削在高速条件下依然能够实现分离型断续切削加工。相比普通铣削加工,分离型的高速超声椭圆振动铣削能够获得更加微细的切屑,切削热能够被及时地带走;良好的切削条件使得刀具的后刀面磨损均匀而缓慢,从而延长刀具的使用寿命;高速超声椭圆振动铣削能够有效地提高生产效率。     

Effect of High-Pressure Coolant on Machining Performance

Machining of hardened steel and other difficult-to-cut materials requires instant heat transfer from the cutting edge of the tool to improve tool life. Supply of high-volume and high-pressure coolant often provides the best answer. This paper deals with an experimental investigation on the effect of high-pressure coolant on workpiece hardness, comparing it with dry cut and conventional coolant. The effectiveness of high-pressure coolant is evaluated in terms of improvement of surface finish, reduction in tool wear and cutting forces, and control of chip shape. It is found that the cutting force is reduced, surface finish improved, and chip width is reduced with the use of high-pressure coolant.     

液氮低温切削钛合金实验研究

针对钛合金难加工特点,将液氮作为冷却介质直接喷向切削区进行钛合金TC4低温车削加工,测量其切削力、表面粗糙度和刀具磨损,并与干切削在相同实验条件下对比,分析低温切削对钛合金的影响。实验结果表明:低温切削钛合金,主切削力有所增大,但进给方向力减小,刀具磨损状况与表面质量得到改善,断屑相对容易。     

Effects of cutting fluid application on tool wear in machining: Interactions with tool-coatings and tool surface features

Minimal Quantity of Lubricant (MQL) application of cutting fluids (CFs), or near-dry machining, is being proposed as an environmentally and economically viable alternative to conventional flooding under conditions where dry cutting is not feasible. However, several issues related to CF application effects on cutting tool wear need further clarification, especially, the interactions of CF application with tool-coatings and chip-breakers, both of which are widely employed in industrial cutting tools, need further study. This paper presents the results of an experimental study into the effects of different CF application methods on tool wear during machining of AISI 1045 steel using flat-faced and grooved, coated carbide cutting tools. The results provide insight into the mechanisms of tool wear in the presence of CFs, as well as the influence of chip-breaking geometric features, and tool-coating systems, on CF action. The wear mode was observed to be dictated by thermal considerations, rather than by any friction reduction capability of different CF application methods, and forced attempts at achieving lubricating action were negatively affecting tool life under some conditions.     

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。