Tool Wear Characteristics in High Speed Milling of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy with Nitrogen Gas Medium

Abstract

High speed milling experiments using nitrogen-oil-mist as cutting medium were undertaken to investigate the characteristics of tool wear for Ti-6Al-4V Alloy, a kind of important and commonly used titanium alloy in the aerospace and automobile industries. Uncoated carbide tools have been applied in the experiments. The cutting speed was 300 m/min. The axial depth of cut and the radial depth of cut were kept constant at 5.0 mm and 1.0 mm, respectively. The feed per tooth was 0.1 mm/z. Optical and scanning electron microscopes have been utilized to determine the wear mechanisms of the cutting tools, and energy spectrum analysis has been carried out to measure the elements distribution at the worn areas. Meanwhile, comparisons were made to discuss the influence of different cutting media such as nitrogen-oil-mist and air-oil–mist upon the tool wear. The results of this investigation indicate that the tool life in nitrogen-oil-mist is significantly longer than that in air-oil-mist, and nitrogen-oil-mist is more suitable for high speed milling of Ti-6Al-4V alloy than air-oil-mist.