Tribological performance based machinability investigations in cryogenic cooling assisted turning of α-β titanium Alloy

Abstract

Machining of titanium is considered as a challenging process due to its ability to interact with various tool materials when critical cutting temperature is exceeded, resulting in excessive tool wear and poor surface finish, etc. To exhibit an efficient machining process, this research study has experimentally investigated the key quality indicators of machinability, namely surface roughness, cutting temperature, tool wear, in-depth analysis of worn tool and cutting force in the machining process of α-β titanium alloy, which used in critical applications, under three sustainable cooling environments i.e., dry, liquid nitrogen (LN2) and carbon dioxide (CO2). The effect of cutting speed and feed rate on such performance measures were examined under a function of cooling strategy as the best substitute in machining. As a result, the feasibility of LN2 cooling has been confirmed to be more significant for the machining of α-β titanium alloy when compared to dry and CO2 machining strategies. To sum up, cryogenic cooling (LN2 cooling) assisted machining of α-β titanium has acquiesced as a sustainable strategy in the context of environmental consciousness.