Development of a machining technology for cutting of particulate reinforced titanium MMC

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Eckart Uhlmann
• Subject Area: Metal-Cutting and Abrasive Manufacturing Engineering
• Term: from 2009 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 135126667

Metal matrix composites (MMC) have caused a high interest for the reduction of weight and thus energy consumption in aerospace as well as automotive industries. The potential applications range from structure parts over the dynamic masses in the combustion engine up to turbine components.Titanium materials already have a high specific strength. A reinforcement with fibres or particles enables the access to enhanced or new application areas by an improvement of wear resistance or strength, particularly at high temperatures. This superior profile of material properties makes titanium MMC a suitable substitution for steel, aluminium materials or nickel-based alloys. On the other hand, industrial application is hindered by the high materials costs and the difficult machinability of these materials.Therefore the project goal is to examine and optimise the technological process conditions during cutting of titanium matrix composites. In systematic experiments the influences of cutting parameters and cooling lubrication will be studied as well as the applicability of different cutting tool materials and geometries. In the first period of the project, the turning process was researched in detail. For this second period, the transfer to milling processes will be investigated. The increased complexity with additional process and tool specific process parameters will be thoroughly examined and used for the enhancement of an empirical model of the cutting process.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants