Enhancing the wear performance of WC-6Co tool by pulsed magnetic field in Ti-6Al-4V machining

To prolong the service life of titanium alloy machining tools, pulsed magnetic field treatment technology is used to enhance the wear performance of tools. The cutting force, rake wear, surface roughness, cutting chips and thermal conductivity in titanium alloy cutting process were investigated to reveal the effect of magnetic field treatment on titanium alloy machining tools. The results show that magnetic field treatment can prolong the service life of titanium alloy cutting tools, especially in wet conditions, the flank wear of the treated tool is reduced 59.8 % on average, the cutting force of the treated tool is reduced by 30 %, and the surface roughness of machined workpiece is reduced by 10.5 %. The reason is that the thermal conductivity of the tool after pulse magnetic field treatment increases by 6.5 %, which reduces the temperature of the cutting friction area. Meanwhile, a uniform titanium film is formed on the rake face of the treated tool to obtain better lubrication. Therefore, it is positive to enhance the wear performance of titanium alloy machining tools by pulsed magnetic field, which is of great significance to the development of titanium alloy machining.