Investigating the influence of built-up edge on forces and surface roughness in micro scale orthogonal machining of titanium alloy Ti6Al4V

The edge geometry of cutting tools directly influences the chip formation mechanism in micro-mechanical machining, where the edge radius and uncut chip thickness are in the same order of magnitude. An uncut chip thickness that is smaller than the cutting edge radius results in a large negative rake angle during machining, and built-up edge formation then affects the mechanics of the process. In this study, micro-scale orthogonal cutting tests on titanium alloy Ti6Al4V were conducted to investigate the influence of built-up edge formation on the machining forces and surface roughness. Cutting edges in these tests are engineered using wire EDM technique to have an edge radius of around 2 μm and clearance angles of 7° and 14°. It is observed that machining process inputs (uncut chip thickness, cutting speed, and clearance angle) affect the size of the built-up edge, which in turn affect the process outputs. It is observed that built-up edge formation protects the cutting edge from flank and crater wear under micro machining conditions and the influence of built-up edge on the surface roughness varies depending on the cutting speed and uncut chip thickness. Our findings also indicate a close relationship between the minimum uncut chip thickness and the mean roughness depth (Rz) of the machined surface. The minimum uncut chip thickness is found to be around 10% of the edge radius in the presence of built-up edge.