Parametric Study and Optimization of Wedm Process Parameters of Pure Titanium

Abstract

Titanium has been recognized as an element (symbol Ti; atomic number 22 and atomic weight 47.9) for at least 200 years. High strength, low density and excellent corrosion resistance are the main property that makes titanium attractive for a variety of applications. The major application of the material is in the aerospace industry, both in airframes and engine components. Non aerospace applications take advantage mainly of their excellent strength properties, for example steam turbine blades, superconductors, missiles etc. or corrosion resistance, for example marine services, chemical, petrochemical, electronics industry, biomedical instruments etc. Pure titanium offers good corrosion resistance in most environments, excluding those containing fluoride ions where it cannot compete with some ceramics, tantalum and various high-nickel alloys. In fluoride-free environments, titanium is cost effective when competing with high-alloy, corrosion-resistant materials such as Hastalloy. When compared with stainless steel, titanium has a much superior technical performance but would not be selected over commodity products such as ferritic and austenitic stainless steels as it is not cost-effective. Several problems such as chatter formation, lower cutting speed and generation of deformed machined surface are observed during conventional machining of titanium and its alloys. Thus, there is a crucial need for reliable and cost effective methods for machining of pure titanium. Over the passage of time, there have been great advancements in development of cutting tools including coated carbides, cubic boron nitrides and polycrystalline diamond. These tools have been successfully applied in machining of steels, high temperature alloys such as nickel based alloys and cast iron, but none of these is found truly applicable in machining of titanium alloys. Attempts have been made for cryogenic machining of titanium alloys by cooling the work piece or tools using a cryogenic coolant.