Influence of Microstructure and Alloy Composition on the Machinability of α/β Titanium Alloys

A comparative study was conducted for the machining of two α/β titanium alloys, namely Ti-6Al-4V (Ti64) and Ti-6Al-7Nb (Ti67), using wire electric discharge machining (WEDM). The influence of cutting speed and cutting mode on the machined surfaces in terms of surface roughness (Ra), recast layer (RL), and micro-hardness have been evaluated. Rough cut (RC) mode at a cutting speed of 50 µm/s resulted in thermal damage; Ra was equal to 5.68 ± 0.44 and 4.52 ± 0.35 µm for Ti64 and Ti67, respectively. Trim-cut mode using seven cuts (TRC-VII) at the same speed decreased the Ra to 1.02 ± 0.20 µm for Ti64 and 0.92 ± 0.10 µm for Ti67. At 100 µm/s, Ra reduced from 2.34 ± 0.28 µm to 0.88 ± 0.12 µm (Ti64), and from 1.42 ± 0.15 µm to 0.90 ± 0.08µm (Ti67) upon changing from TRC-III to TRC-VII. Furthermore, a thick recast layer of 30 ± 0.93 µm for Ti64 and 14 ± 0.68 µm for Ti67 was produced using the rough mode, while TRC-III and TRC-VII modes produced layers of 12 ± 1.31 µm and 5 ± 0.72 µm for Ti64 and Ti67, respectively. Moreover, rough cut and trim cut modes of WEDM played a significant role in promoting the surface hardness of Ti64 and Ti67. By employing the Response Surface Methodology, it was found that the machining mode followed by cutting speed and the interaction between them are the most influential parameters on surface roughness. Finally, mathematical models correlating machining parameters to surface roughness were successfully developed. The results strongly promote the trim-cut mode of WEDM as a promising machining route for two-phase titanium alloys.