Ultra-Low-Frequency Vibration Assisted Machining of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy

Abstract

As titanium alloys such as Ti-6Al-4V provide several benefits, including high-temperature strength and high corrosion resistance, the demand for such materials has rapidly increased, particularly in the aircraft industries. On the other hand, they are known to be among the most difficult-to-cut materials due to their mechanical and chemical properties, which make tool life extremely short. In order to solve this problem, this paper proposes a new cutting method employing ultra-low-frequency (ULF) vibration. ULF vibration ranges from less than 1 Hz to approximately 10 Hz and is generated by using a numerically-controlled machine tool axis and an NC program. The results of turning experiments showed that the developed method significantly reduces crater wear in the machining of Ti-6Al-4V, even under dry machining conditions. Moreover, the mechanism that ULF vibration affects and the effect of actual cutting time and non-cutting time in each individual vibration period on the amount of crater wear were investigated. As a result, it was found that the developed process is a promising method for achieving high performance dry machining of titanium alloys.