How to Process titanium
Since the discovery of the element titanium in 1790, mankind has carried out a hundred years of arduous exploration to obtain its extraordinary performance. In 1910, mankind produced the metal titanium for the first time, but the application of titanium alloys was a long and arduous road, and it was not until 40 years later, in 1951, that industrial production was finally realized. Titanium alloys are characterized by high specific strength, corrosion resistance, high-temperature resistance, and fatigue resistance. A titanium alloy of the same size weighs only 60% of steel but is stronger than alloy steel. Due to its good characteristics, titanium alloy has been increasingly used in the fields of aviation, aerospace, power generation equipment, nuclear energy, shipbuilding, the chemical industry, medical equipment, and so on. Reasons for complex machining of titanium alloys The four characteristics of titanium alloy, such as low thermal conductivity, severe work hardening, high affinity with the tool, and small plastic deformation, are the essential reasons why titanium alloy is rugged to process. Its cut index is only 20% of that of free-cutting steel. Low thermal conductivity Titanium alloy has a thermal conductivity of only about 16% of steel. Processing heat can not be conducted in time, resulting in cutting-edge local high temperatures (machining the tip temperature is more than one times that of steel), which easily triggers tool diffusion wear. Severe work hardening The work-hardening phenomenon of titanium alloy is obvious. The surface hardening layer is more serious compared to stainless steel, which will cause some difficulties for subsequent processing, for example, tool boundary damage increases. High affinity to tools Severe bonding with titanium-containing carbide. Low plastic deformation The modulus of elasticity is about half that of steel, so the elastic recovery is large, and friction is severe. At the same time, the workpiece is…