Study on the Current State of Research in the Field of Titanium Aluminides Milling Processes

Abstract

Recently, there has been a significant interest in the research and industrial application of titanium aluminides. These alloys present great relevance in the aerospace and automotive sectors, where machining processes for the manufacture of high-dimensional precision parts are a fundamental aspect. The interest in the use of these alloys is since they combine a very low density, lower than the Ti6Al4V alloy typically used in these applications, and exceptional mechanical properties at high temperatures. However, titanium aluminides present great difficulties to be machined, being classified as a difficult-to-cut material, as they have high hardness and brittleness, low thermal conductivity, and high chemical reactivity. In the last decade, research on the machining processes of these intermetallic composites has been carried out, although few published works can be found. In particular, research on milling processes is incipient, and further progress is needed in the study and characterization of the process. In this work, a review of the state of the art is carried out to establish the achievements made concerning technological parameters, improvements with the application of sustainable lubrication systems, and the efficiency of the process in terms of tool wear and cutting temperature. In this way, future lines of research in this field would be established. In short, the results obtained aim at a further definition of the tribological system involved in titanium aluminide milling, the use of cryogenic and mixed MQL-cryogenic lubrication, and the definition of tool configurations that allow higher machining speeds to be achieved.