Titanium alloys are widely used in important manufacturing sectors such as the aerospace industry, internal components of motor or biomechanical components, for the development of functional prostheses. The relationship between mechanical properties and weight and its excellent biocompatibility have positioned this material among the most demanded for specific applications. However, it is necessary to consider the low machinability as a disadvantage in the titanium alloys features. This fact is especially due to the low thermal conductivity, producing significant increases in the temperature of the contact area during the machining process. In this aspect, one of the main objectives of strategic industries is focused on the improvement of the efficiency and the increase of the service life of the elements involved in the machining of this alloy. With the aim to understand the most relevant effects in the machinability of the Ti6Al4V alloy, an analysis is required of different variables of the machining process like tool wear evolution, based on secondary adhesion mechanisms, and the relation between surface roughness of the work-pieces with the cutting parameters. In this research work, a study on the machinability of Ti6Al4V titanium alloy has been performed. For that purpose, in a horizontal turning process, the influence of cutting tool wear effects has been evaluated on the surface finish of the machined element. As a result, parametric behavior models for average roughness (Ra) have been determined as a function of the machining parameters used.
Keywords: machinability; machining; titanium alloys; tool wear; turning.