Finite element simulation of chip segmentation in machining a titanium 6-aluminum - 4-vanadium alloy

Ti 6Al-4V, a titanium alloy introduced in 1954, is considered the workhorse amongst the titanium alloys and is available in all product forms. It is extensively used in aerospace industry because of its excellent strength-to-weight ratio maintained at elevated temperatures, fracture resistance characteristics and exceptional corrosion resistance. The machinability of this alloy is generally considered to be poor owing to its several inherent properties. In order to overcome the machinability issues associated with machining Ti 6Al-4V, an attempt has been made in this study to observe the effect of machining conditions on the chip formation, rake face and shear zone temperatures and cutting forces. To simulate orthogonal metal cutting of Ti 6Al-4V a commercial, general-purpose FE code (AdvantEdge(TM)) has been used. AdvantEdge(TM) has the facility to incorporate user-defined material subroutine (UMAT). Using this, Johnson-Cook material model and Recht's catastrophic shear failure criterion are incorporated into the UMAT subroutine code. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...