Ultrasonic vibration assisted milling of titanium alloy microchannel

For the light weight and chemical stability, Ti–6Al–4V titanium alloy microchannel is an ideal element for fluids controlling, transporting, manipulating, which has been widely used in the aerospace field. However, the poor surface quality of machined microchannels and tool wear pose challenges to performance improvement. In this study, ultrasonic vibration-assisted milling (UVAM) of titanium alloy microchannels was investigated, comparing the effects of ultrasonic vibration amplitude, spindle speed, feed rate, and cutting depth on surface morphology, surface roughness, sidewall verticality, and tool wear with conventional milling (CM) processes. The results demonstrated that axial ultrasonic vibration can effectively improve the machined surface uniformity and reduce tool wear, resulting in a 29.06 % decrease in microchannel surface roughness and a 7.76 % increase in sidewall perpendicularity. This study lays the foundation for manufacturing high-quality Ti–6Al–4V titanium alloy microchannels and also expands the application of ultrasonic-assisted machining techniques in the field of microchannel manufacturing.