High-pressure cooling of face-grooving operations in Ti6Al4V

Abstract

This paper presents results from an experimental study with high-pressure cooling on the rake face and on the flank face of the cutting tool. The technique was tested in face-grooving operations in Ti6Al4V, which are common and time-consuming turning operations in the aerospace industry. Grooving is a difficult operation because the cooling effect is low, owing to the geometry of the groove and also because of the chips that obstruct the coolant flow. The results show that 10–30 MPa high-pressure cooling on the rake face of the tool can increase tool life by 200–300 per cent as compared with conventional flood flushing. However, when high-pressure rake face cooling is applied, the workpiece surface may be adversely affected by the chip flow. Applying high-pressure coolant to the tool flank face increases tool life by 50–100 per cent relative to conventional flood flushing. No damage to the workpiece surface was observed. It can be concluded that a complete high-pressure cooling system should include options for both cooling methods.