Wear Dependent Tool Reliability Analysis during Cutting Titanium Metal Matrix Composites (Ti-MMCs)

Metal matrix composites (MMCs) exhibit superior characteristics such as low weight, high stiffness, and high mechanical and physical properties. Inheriting such an outstanding combination of specifications, they are nowadays considered as the promising materials in the aerospace and biomedical industries. However, the presence of high abrasive reinforcing particles in MMCs leads to severe manufacturing issues. Due to the tool-particle interactions which occur during the machining of MMCs, high tool wear and poor surface finish are induced and those elements are considered as the main drawbacks of cutting MMCs. In this study, dry turning experiments were conducted for two different inserts and coated carbide on a bar of titanium metal matrix composite (Ti-MMC). Semi-finishing machining is operated with cutting parameters based on the tool supplier's recommendations which were not fully optimized. The maximum flank wear length (VBBmax) was selected as the tool wear criteria. Furthermore, analyses were performed on the tool flank face using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The reliability analysis was performed based on the test results in order to assess the useful life of the cutting tools. The reliability function and mean time to failure were selected for the tools' reliability assessment. The reliability of both tools, due to the wear of the inserts, was analyzed and compared. The reliability assessment of the cutting tool can be very useful for tool manufacturers and manufacturing companies for production planning and tool management.