Prediction of tool temperature during machining of Ti-6Al-4V alloy with atomization-based cutting fluid spray system
Atomization-based cutting fluid (ACF) spray system is being sought as an alternative to cooling processes currently used for machining difficult-to-cut materials such as Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The ACF spray system generates a stream of monodispersed droplets of cutting fluid which then gets mixed in a high-velocity gas flow to form a focused axisymmetric jet of droplets. During machining, this jet is able to penetrate the small region of the tool-chip interface helping in lubrication and cooling of the interface. The advantage of the ACF spray system is that it requires very small amount of cutting fluid, which makes the system more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. It has been recently reported that ACF spray system improves machining performances including tool life and reduced temperature near the tool-chip interface in turning Ti-alloy. It is clear from these studies that the reduction in temperature and improvement in machining are mainly dependent on the interaction of the cutting fluid from the ACF spray system with the chip-tool interface. Therefore, it is imperative to have a physics-based understanding of the phenomena taking place at the interface that is responsible for the tool temperature reduction. In this study, a thermal model for the atomization-based cutting fluid (ACF) spray system is developed to predict the temperature of the cutting edge of the tool during machining of titanium alloys. In the model, film boiling is taken into account because of the high temperatures involved in turning of Ti-6Al-4V alloy. Due to film boiling a thin vapor film is formed between the heated tool surface and the droplet. Heat is being conducted away from the tool through this film. It is shown that the thermal model is able to predict the temperature reduction due to ACF spray cooling and the predicted temperature profile is comparable to the experimental results.
titanium, Atomization-based cutting fluid (ACF)
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign