Effect of cutting parameters and tool rake angle on the chip formation and adiabatic shear characteristics in machining Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy

Abstract

Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy is widely used in aeronautical parts and the high-efficiency machining and manufacturing process is surely a challenging work. The cutting parameters’ proper selection and tool geometric angles’ adoption will affect the material removal process in terms of chip formation and machined surface formation processes. In this paper, Abaqus finite element software was utilized to model and simulate the Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy cutting process. The setting and selection of the constitutive model, material failure criterion, friction attribute, and heat transfer model make sure that the simulation is more in line with the actual cutting process. The correctness of the simulation model is verified by comparing the cutting forces and chip morphological characteristics obtained by the simulation with the experiments. Then, the effect of cutting parameters and tool rake angle on the chip formation and analyses of the adiabatic shear banding process was investigated, by using the machining simulation tests with different tool rake angles and cutting speeds. Results illustrate that the chip segmentation degree increases with the increase of cutting speed and feed rate, while it decreases with the increase in rake angle. The adiabatic shear-banding chip formation mechanisms were revealed by analyzing the relationship between shear strain, shear stress, chip segmentation degree, and high-temperature shear zone in undeformed plot contours. The serrated chip formation process when machining titanium alloy accompanies with the dramatic changes of shear strain and stress in adiabatic shear banding.