Influence of Residual Stress on the Fatigue Life of Ti6Al4V Alloy Machined through Ultrasonic Vibration-Assisted Turning
摘要
Ti6Al4V alloys are used in a wide range of applications because of their superior mechanical properties, high chemical affinity, and strength. However, machining these super alloys is a difficult task due to the same properties, which require advanced cutting techniques to be used. Ultrasonic vibration-assisted turning (UVAT) is a cutting-edge machining technique to machine such difficult-to-cut materials. In UVAT, the cutting tool is subjected to vibration of low amplitude (20-25 µm) and high frequency (20 kHz) in the tangential direction. The objective of the present work is to improve the compressive nature of residual stress and hence fatigue life in Ti6Al4V machined components. Machining performance is evaluated to identify surface properties like roughness and residual stresses over the machined surface, and their impact on the fatigue life of the component. The specimens are prepared as per the required standards using CT and UVAT. The tests are conducted at 80%, 75%, 70%, and 60% yield strength of Ti6Al4V for both CT and UVAT processed samples. The study revealed that the UVAT specimen sustained a greater number of cycles before failing compared to the CT specimen at all stress amplitudes. This may be due to the improved surface finish and induced compressive surface residual stresses in UVAT that improved the component’s fatigue life. UVAT’s intermittent cutting action helps in lowering cutting temperature and force, which eventually improves the surface finish as well as thermomechanical loading on the machined component. Finally, it is identified that significant improvement in fatigue strength of the Ti6Al4V alloy can be achieved with UVAT compared to the CT process.