Machining titanium and its alloys : state-of-the-art

Abstract

Titanium, due to specific mechanical and physical properties, is becoming an attractive material for numerous applications such as aircraft, jet engine, racing-car, chemical, petrochemical, and marine components, and biomaterials, such as prosthetic devices. On the other hand, titanium and its alloys are classified to the group of difficult-to-machine materials and their machining continue to be a problem. The paper summarizes the practical knowledge on the various aspects of the cutting processes while using commercially pure titanium and its three alloys (α; α-β and β). It also describes utulising the latest tooling technology, the selection of machining parameters for typical machining operations and new developments in both traditional and non-traditional processes. Some typical aerospace parts are provided to illustrate the scale of machining problems arising in this manufacturing sector.