Effect of Radial Engagement and Feed Rate on the Thermal Evolution of Ti-6Al-4V alloys in Peripheral Milling Process

In the aerospace industry, during the peripheral milling of titanium alloys, the tool engagement parameters are continuously altered by the cutting trajectories. This study investigates the effect of feed rate on the evolution of cutting forces and heat generation, to evaluate their consequences on the surface integrity of the part. A methodology was proposed to determine the thermal evolution of the tool and the workpiece. To achieve this, an experimental setup was developed to measure forces in orthogonal milling operation, with varying radial engagement and feed rate. An analytical model of local cutting forces was also developed to estimate the heat flux in the tertiary shear zone and to model the thermal evolution between the tool and the workpiece. The study demonstrates that the temperature levels achieved are not sufficient to significantly influence the surface integrity of the part produced. As perspective, an experimental and numerical studies will be carried out subsequently to complete the proposed analytical model.