Experimental Investigation and Optimization of Cutting Parameters in Machining of Ti6Al4V Alloy by an MT-CVD Insert

Titanium alloys find wide applications in aerospace, defence, and surgical industries due to their unique high strength- to- weight ratio which is maintained even at high temperatures and also their exceptional corrosion resistance. The machining of these materials is a thermally dominant process. At high temperature, they become chemically active and tend to react with tool materials. In the present study an attempt has been made to investigate the effect of cutting parameters (cutting speed, feed rate and depth of cut) on surface roughness in turning a Ti6Al4V Titanium alloy with a medium temperature chemical vapor deposition tool insert. Experiments have been conducted using Taguchi’s experimental design technique. Optimum cutting parameters for minimizing surface roughness have been determined by using the desirability function based approach. A second order model has been established between the cutting parameters and the surface roughness, using the response surface methodology. Predicted values and measured values fairly tally and it indicates that the developed model can be effectively used to predict the surface roughness in the machining of Ti6Al4V Titanium alloy. Experimental results reveal that among the cutting parameters, the feed rate is the most significant machining parameter for surface roughness, followed by depth of cut and cutting speed. © 2013, The Institution of Engineers (India).