Some metallurgical aspects of chip formation in cutting Ti-6wt.%Al-4wt.%V alloy

Adiabatic shear banding is a phenomenon observed in machining titanium and some other metals and alloys as well. The shear localized chips are important in the chip disposal process, machined surface integrity and the automation of machining operations. It is therefore necessary to understand the mechanisms of metal cutting such as the formation of shear banding in the produced chips. In this paper, the behaviour of the chip formation is investigated using various metallurgical analysis techniques. It was found, in cutting Ti-6wt.%Al-4wt.%V titanium alloy, that some non-diffusional phase transformation took place in the shear localized chips. The process of chip formation with shear banding and the effects of cutting conditions on shear banding frequency were also studied. The results of these tests are presented in this paper.