Tool wear investigation in high-pressure jet coolant assisted machining Ti2AlNb intermetallic alloys based on FEM

Abstract

The excellent mechanical properties of Ti2AlNb intermetallic compounds are beneficial to improve the performance of aero-engine. However, because of their high strength ratio especially at high temperature along with the low thermal conductivity of Ti2AlNb, the machinability of this material is poor. In this paper, high-pressure jet cooling technology is applied for the machining of Ti2AlNb intermetallic alloys to investigate the effects of high pressure jet cooling on the machinability of Ti2AlNb. The performance associated with the cutting force, the cutting temperature, the chip morphology and the tool wear have been discussed. The results showed that the high pressure jet cooling can enhance the heat dissipation by weakening the phenomenon of bubble adsorption in the cutting area based on the FEM simulations. The high pressure jet cooling can break the chip into C-type chip and improve the chip breakage capability. It also demonstrates that the crater wear and adhesive wear near the cutting edge can be significantly reduced with the high pressure jet cooling technology. When the jet pressure reaches 10 MPa, the cutting temperature reduced 22% and the tool life improved by 89%.