Cutting Performance and Wear Behavior of AlTiN- and TiAlSiN-Coated Carbide Tools During Dry Milling of Ti-6Al-4V

Machining, especially dry machining of titanium alloys, has been one of the most significant challenges for carbide cutting tools. In this study, aluminum-rich AlTiN coating, as well as TiAlSiN nanocomposite coating, were successfully employed for dry milling of Ti-6Al-4V alloy with high efficiency and long tool life. At the cutting speeds of 150 m/min and 200 m/min, the tool life of the TiAlSiN-coated tool exceeds that of AlTiN-coated tool by 32 and 66%, respectively. The wear modes for both coated tools include the uniform flank wear, smooth wear, chipping, coating and substrate flaking, crater and notch wear, and the wear mechanisms include adhesion, diffusion, oxidation and crack. Among them, the wear mechanism is dominated by the adhesion and oxidation wear. As compared with AlTiN coating, TiAlSiN coating exhibits better mechanical properties and oxidation resistance, which contribute to a better cutting performance, fewer thermal cracks and smaller and uniform workpiece chips during the dry milling of Ti-6Al-4V alloy.