Influence of damping coefficient from permanent magnets on chatter formation during end milling of titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V)

Abstract

In machining operations, chatter is undesirable due to its adverse effects on the product quality, operation cost, machining accuracy and machine tool life. It is also responsible for reducing output. Chatter is a self-excitation phenomenon occurring in machine tools, in which the cutting process tends to lower the damping capacity of the machine structural components ending in an unstable behavior of the system. Chatter arises due to resonance when the vibrations of the instability of chip formation and the natural vibration modes of the machine-system components coincide. This paper focuses on the influence of damping coefficient from permanent magnets on chip serration frequency as an approach of minimizing chatter in end milling of Titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V). The method consists of two ferrite permanent magnet bars (dimensions: 1" × 6" × 3"), mounted 5mm from the cutting tool using a specially designed fixture which provided a uniform magnetic field of 2500-2700 Gausses. A titanium alloy Ti6Al4V block was then end milled using uncoated WC-Co inserts. A sequence of 15 experimental runs was conducted based on a small Central Composite Design (CCD) model in Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The primary (independent) parameters were: cutting speed, feed, and depth of cut. The data acquisition system comprised a vibration sensor (accelerometer) and a signal conditioning unit was used to measure the vibration data. The resultant vibrations were then analyzed using the DASYLab 5.6 software. Machining tests were conducted for two different conditions - with and without the application of magnets. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was used to measure the chip segmentations. The SEM analysis of chip serrations demonstrated that the chip serration frequency were more stable while cutting under the presence of permanent magnets due to lower intensity of chatter.