Experimental investigation with respect to the performance of deep submillimeter-scaled textured tools in dry turning titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V

Titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V falls under the category of the most difficult to machine materials due to its inherent high strength maintained at elevated temperature and low thermal conductivity. Based on size effect, the poor machinability may be improved by surface texturing on the tools. Thus, the effect of deep submillimeter-scaled textures on the cutting performance in Ti-6Al-4V turning was investigated. To this end, three kinds of surface textures with different sizes were fabricated using femtosecond laser on rake faces of the uncoated cemented carbide (WC/Co) inserts. Then, dry cutting experiments were conducted with these textured inserts and conventional inserts under the condition of cutting speed Vc = 50m/min, depth of cut ap = 2 mm, and feed rate f = 0.3 mm/rev. The cutting performance is evaluated in terms of cutting forces, coefficient of friction at the tool-chip interface. Results obtained in this work show the feasibility of fabricating deep submillimeter-scaled textures on tool rake face to improve the machinability of Ti-6Al-4V. The parallel type of textured tool P01 demonstrates the best performance in both reducing cutting force and improving the friction properties on the rake face. This result can be explained by the reduced tool-chip contact area and the ploughing effect.