Investigation of the turning process of the TC21 titanium alloy: Experimental analysis and 3D simulation

Titanium alloys are widely used in the aerospace industry due to their superior properties such as high strength and low density. As a new titanium alloy with higher strength and lower heat conductivity, titanium alloy TC21 is very difficult to cut and the cutting mechanism of this alloy needs to be investigated deeply. In the paper, to observe the cutting phenomenon in the turning process of TC21 alloy, a series of turning experiments have been performed to investigate the turning process of TC21 alloy. Further, the influence of some important turning parameters (cutting speed, feed speed, depth of cut and rake angle) on cutting force and chip morphology is well analyzed through the experiments. In addition, a 3D finite element model for turning was established using the software ABAQUS for helping to analyze the turning process of TC21. Through simulation, cutting force, chip formation and temperature distribution of TC21 alloy in the turning process have been achieved. At the same time, simulated cutting forces and chip morphology were compared with the results of experiment. The results of experiments showed that the chip of TC21 alloy in turning process is serrated and the rake angle of tool has the obvious effect on the chip morphology.