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Investigation on the machinability of metastable β titanium alloy M28

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Abstract

Oriented to the application of new generation strategic aircraft, M28 (Ti-4Al-5Mo-5 V-6Cr-1Nb) is a novel metastable β titanium alloy with outstanding strength. The research on the machining of such hard-to-machine material remains inadequate. To investigate the machinability of M28, milling experiments were made with the uncoated WC–Co carbide insert. The cutting force and tool life of M28 were compared with those of Ti-6Al-4 V in varying cutting speeds. The tool wear mode was also analyzed. The cutting force of M28 increases with cutting speed significantly, especially in high-speed cutting where it can reach as high as 132% of that of Ti-6Al-4 V. The “transgranular cut” of M28 contributes to the high cutting force. A much shorter tool life in cutting M28, ranging from 0.88% to 13.82% of that of Ti-6Al-4 V, was found in the experiment. Serious edge chipping occurred at the normal cutting speed as the result of stress concentration and abrasion of the secondary \(\alpha\) precipitation. In high-speed cutting, chip adhesion, comb cracks, and tool plastic deformation were found at the edge as the result of the high temperature. In addition, the semi-crater at the worn edge tip was formed by the interaction of high-frequency cutting impact, carbide thermal softening, and diffusion wear. A better understanding of the machinability of M28 is conducive to the improvement in manufacture in the aviation industry.

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Acknowledgements

This work is sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52075251).

Funding

This work is sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52075251).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, China

    Yifan Jiang, Yinfei Yang, Guolong Zhao & Liang Li

  2. AVIC Xi’an Aircraft Industry (Group) Company LTD, Xi’an, 710089, China

    Hui Tian & Jia Yin

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  1. Yifan Jiang
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  2. Hui Tian
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  3. Jia Yin
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  4. Yinfei Yang
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  5. Guolong Zhao
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  6. Liang Li
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation was performed by Hui Tian and Jia Yin. Experiment design was performed by Yifan Jiang with the guidance from Hui Tian, Jia Yin, and Yinfei Yang. Experiment work, data collection, and analysis were performed by Yifan Jiang with the guidance from Liang Li and Guolong Zhao. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Yifan Jiang, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Liang Li.

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Jiang, Y., Tian, H., Yin, J. et al. Investigation on the machinability of metastable β titanium alloy M28. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 121, 2135–2148 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-022-09423-6

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