Experimental investigations on effects of tool flank wear on surface integrity during orthogonal dry cutting of Ti-6Al-4V

Machining titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V is a challenging task since tool flank wear adversely affects surface integrity. Quantitative effects of predetermined tool flank wear values (VB) on the surface integrity were investigated through the orthogonal dry cutting of Ti-6Al-4V. Experimental results indicated that three-dimensional (3D) average surface roughness increased with the VB ranging from 0 to 0.2 mm but decreased at VB = 0.3 mm. Given the effects of rubbing and ironing enhanced, surface material burning and plastic flows emerged on the machined surface at VB = 0.3 mm. Not only the plastic deformation layer became deeper but also the grains were greatly distorted with the increase of tool flank wear. When machined by using the tool at VB = 0.3 mm, the β phase of Ti-6Al-4V decreased near the machined surface layer than that of using the fresh tool. Besides, the depth of work-harden layer increased from 20 to 60 μm with the VB increasing from 0 to 0.3 mm. The softened layer was generated near the machined surface by using the tool at VB = 0.3 mm. In addition, the residual compressive stresses of the machined surface had the trend of decreasing. Experimental results indicated that the VB less than 0.2 mm was the most suitable condition for better surface integrity during orthogonal dry cutting of Ti-6Al-4V. This study aims at providing experimental data for optimizing the processing parameters and improving the surface integrity of Ti-6Al-4V.