Experimental investigations into the effect of external conditions on chip segmentation in machining titanium alloy

In order to identify whether oxygen and nitrogen in the ambient atmosphere affect the chip formation mechanism in machining Ti-6Al-4V alloy, the partially formed chips in orthogonal cutting were analyzed using SAM and AES. The Auger images show that the relative surface concentration of oxygen as well as nitrogen has no significant difference in the shear-localized band and chip segment. After ion-etching, the Auger images indicate that the oxygen and nitrogen no longer exist. Chip formation studies were also conducted at high temperature, conventional, and subzero cooling conditions. In a liquid nitrogen cooling machining test, a continuous ribbon-like chip was produced showing homogeneous shear and uniform thickness.