Processing certain kinds of micro-textures onto the surface of tools can improve their wear resistance, reduce the friction between them and machined surfaces, prolong their service life and improve their processing efficiency. When milling titanium alloy with ball-end milling cutters, the cutting force and the cutting heat causes plastic deformation and a concentration of stress on workpiece surfaces, damaging their surface integrity. In this paper, we report on a test involving the milling of titanium alloy, where a micro-texture was placed onto the front of a ball-end cutter and the surface roughness and work hardening of the machined surface were studied. The orthogonal experiment was designed around changes in the diameter of the micro-texture, its depth, the spacing between individual micro-pits, and its distance from the cutting edge. Data from the experiment was then used to assess the influence changes in the micro-texture parameters had upon the roughness and hardening of the surface. The data was processed and analyzed by using regression analysis and a prediction model for surface roughness and work hardening was established. The reliability of the model was then verified. The contents of this paper provide a theoretical basis for improving the cutting performance and the surface machining quality of cemented carbide tools.
Keywords: ball-end milling cutter; micro-texture; surface roughness; titanium alloy; work hardening.