Study on milling of TC4 titanium alloy with swallowtail-shaped micro-textured PCD tools

To address the challenges of poor machinability and short tool life in titanium alloy machining, in this paper, swallowtail-shaped bionic micro-textures were proposed to improve lubrication conditions in tool-workpiece contact area. A three-dimensional milling model was developed to optimize the geometric parameters of the swallowtail-shaped micro-texture, leading to the fabrication of polycrystalline diamond (PCD) tools with the optimal texture. Comparative experiments in finishing milling TC4 titanium alloy were conducted with both swallowtail-shaped micro-textured and non-textured tools under minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) condition. Milling force, tool life, and tool wear of the two types of tools were analyzed at variable speeds. The results demonstrated that swallowtail-shaped micro-textured tools reduced Maximum milling force by 17.5% to 27.9%, increased the effective cutting Life by 11.7% to 16.7%, and minimized adhesive wear compared to the non-textured tool. The surface integrity tests of machined workpiece showed that swallowtail-shaped micro-textured tool effectively reduced surface roughness, microhardness, and residual stress. This study provides a promising, bionic-inspired solution for enhancing the performance of machining tools and offers valuable insights into the design of micro-textures for improved cutting efficiency and tool lifespan.