A novel cold air electrostatic minimum quantity lubrication (CAEMQL) technique for the machining of titanium alloys Ti–6Al–4 V

Abstract

Milling of titanium alloys is usually associated with a high cutting temperature and severe tool wear. Therefore, ood cooling technologies were conventionally employed for prolonging the tool life and improving the machined surface quality. However, a negative impact on the environment and waste disposal problems caused by a vast quantity of metalworking uids used in the process has become signi cant. In this study, a new machining method called "cold air electrostatic minimum quantity lubrication (CAEMQL)" is proposed for machining titanium alloys Ti-6Al-4V. The milling performance of CAEMQL was systematically assessed in terms of cutting force, cutting temperature, surface roughness, tool life, tool wear and chip morphology, using minimum quantity lubrication (MQL), electrostatic minimum quantity lubrication (EMQL) and cold air minimum quantity lubrication (CAMQL) as benchmarks. It was found that CAEMQL resulted in an improved critical heat ux and steady-state heat transfer performance compared with MQL, EMQL and CAMQL, which thus produced a lower milling force, smaller milling temperature, better surface quality and less tool wear. The degrees of chip segmentation were enhanced with less deformation for CAEMQL due to its synergistic cooling and lubrication effect .