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Ti–6Al–4V is the most commonly used titanium alloy in aerospace, marine, and biomedical applications. Due to the properties of poor machinability in conventional machining, Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) is considered a prospective alternative for machining this strategic material. This study aims at enhancing the performance of powder mixed EDM (PMEDM) in the machining of Ti–6Al–4V with the application of two different types of powders, namely Graphite (Gr) and Titanium Oxide (TiO2) powders, with different concentrations in dielectric—kerosene. The effect of these powers and their relative quantities are studied in terms of metal removal rate (MRR), tool wear rate, Surface Roughness, and surface integrity. Machining is performed using the copper electrode and kerosene as the dielectric medium. A separate container and a submersible pump are used to limit the quantity of powder and keep the powder in suspension, respectively. Design of experiments guided by Design-Expert software is employed to minimize the number of experimental runs and develop empirical models of response parameters in terms of the variable parameters—peak current, powder type, and powder concentration. Findings indicate that TiO2 powder has a much higher effect on MRR compared to graphite powder, as the maximum MRR in the case of TiO2 powder is recorded 41.01 mm3/min against 11.98 mm3/min for graphite powder, i.e., 3.42 times higher. Similarly, the tool wear ratio for TiO2 powder is 0.0704 against 0.1219 for graphite powder at the maximum MRR, which is 1.73 times lower compared to that of graphite powder. The same ratios at the minimum MRR for TiO2 is 0.0098, and for graphite power is 0.0282, which is again 2.88 times lower compared to that of graphite powder. In terms of average surface roughness, Ra, the performance of TiO2 is far better compared to graphite powder since the maximum surface roughness attained with TiO2 powder is 3.265 μm against 9.936 μm for graphite powder at the highest MRR and the same attained at the lowest MRR are 2.228 μm and 2.411 μm for TiO2 and graphite powders respectively. The mechanism of the effects of PMEDM on surface texture has also been observed using SEM images to study the influence of powder concentration on surface morphology.

Abstract. This paper presents the outcome of a study on heat assisted end milling of Inconel 718 using inducting heating technique conducted to enhance the machinability of the material. The heating temperature maintained below the phase transformation temperature was aimed at softening the top removable material layers. The experimental results of both conventional and heat assisted machining were compared. The machinability of Inconel 718 under these conditions was evaluated in terms of tool life, tool wear morphology and chatter. The advantages of Induction heating is demonstrated by an longer tool life and lower chatter. The study showed that preheated machining facilitates up to 80% increase of tool life over conventional machining conducted using TiAlN coated carbide inserts.

Machining of metals is generally accompanied by a violent relative vibration between work and tool, known as chatter. Chatter arises due to resonance when the vibrations of the instability of chip formation and the natural vibration modes of the machine-system components coincide. This paper focuses on a novel approach of minimizing chatter in end milling of Titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) under magnetic field from permanent magnets. The method consists of two ferrite permanent magnet bars (dimensions: 1′′ x 6′′ x 3′′), mounted 5mm from the cutting tool using a specially designed fixture, to provide a uniform magnetic field of 2500-2700 Gausses (approximately). A titanium alloy Ti6Al4V block was then end milled using uncoated WC-Co inserts.The experiments were designed using the Design Expert software with three independent variables; cutting speed, feed, and depth of cut. Machining tests were conducted for two different conditions – with and without the application of magnets. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was used to measure the chip segmentations.The SEM analysis of chip serrations demonstrated that the chip formations were more stable while cutting under the presence of permanent magnets due to lower intensity of chatter. Keywords: Chatter, Chip Serration Frequency, Permanent Magnet, Titanium Alloy.

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