Temperatures during the dry cutting of titanium alloy using diamond composites with ceramic bonding phases

Abstract

In this paper the thermal properties of diamond composites with ceramic bonding phases, such as the Ti–Si–C system with nanometric Ti(CN) and TiB₂ are presented. The thermal conductivities of the materials were analyzed by the laser pulse method. In addition, computational simulations of the temperature dependence on the distance from the cutting edge were performed according to the finite element method for the investigated composites, commercial PCD, and hypothetical diamond monocrystal. Two cutting speeds were considered during the numeric computations: 100 and 200 m/min. To verify the simulations, the TNGA 160408 cutting insert, which was prepared from the investigated diamond composites and commercial material, was employed. Dry turning tests of titanium alloy were conducted. The temperatures during the machining processes were observed using a thermovision camera, and the surface roughness was measured after the tests. The computational simulations confirmed the strong dependence between the thermal properties of the cutting material and the temperatures within the cutting zone. The temperature measurements during the dry cutting tests reveal significantly higher temperatures than the temperature measurements achieved during the simulations.