A Study on Cutting Characteristics in Turning Operations of Titanium Alloy used in Automobile

Titanium alloy is a highly specific strength material, having excellent mechanical characteristics such as high stiffness, fracture resistance, and hardness at high temperature, so it is applied to various fields such as automotive, aerospace and bio-industry. Yet, the excellent characteristics of titanium alloy generate high cutting heat in cutting process, stimulating tool wear and degrading process accuracy. This study looked into turning characteristics of Ti-6Al-4V alloy using super light, coated carbide and cermet tool and applied Taguchi method to identify factors affecting turning process. In the process of titanium alloy, the major cause of tool wear was adhesion of the chip by cutting heat at a high temperature, and to enhance tool life, cutting speed control is necessary. Factors affecting tool life were in the order of tool material, cutting speed and feed rate.