Effect of cutting edge geometry on surface and subsurface characteristics of a beta titanium alloy

With the frequent use of titanium alloys in aerospace and medical industries, the demand for studies on their machinability has increased. One of the most important aspects to be assessed corresponds to surface integrity, which can be induced by different tool edge geometries. Therefore, this work presents experimental results regarding the surface roughness and the depth of affected zone of a beta-titanium alloy (Ti-15Mo) turned by CBN cutting inserts with different edge geometries prepared by grinding. Considering the applied cutting parameters, the results demonstrated that a tool with form factor K = 2.0 leads to the highest machining forces, roughness, and depth of affected zone. The lowest surface roughness was obtained by the tool with a form factor K = 0.5, while the lowest depth of affected zone was measured for the tool with a form factor K = 1.0.