Enhancing the Machinability of Titanium Alloy (TI6AL4V): A Comprehensive Review of Literature

Titanium alloys (Ti-6Al-4V) are alloys, which contain a mixture of titaniumand other elements. The alloy boasts excellent mechanical properties such as hightoughness, high strength to weight ratio, and good corrosion resistance ability. Itsexcellent mechanical properties as well as its suitability for high temperatureapplications, make it fit for many industrial applications. However, titanium alloy haslow thermal conductivity, which makes it susceptible to poor machinability anddimensional inaccuracies during machining operations. In this study, a comprehensivereview of the literature was carried out in order to identify the various strategiessuitable for enhancing the machinability of titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V). The findingsfrom the survey indicate that the machinability of titanium to the required surface finishcan be enhanced in the following ways: use of effective cooling strategies, processdesign, optimisation of process parameters, selection of appropriate cutting tool,effective process monitoring and control as well as the selection of the optimum rangeof process parameters, etc. It is envisaged that the findings of this work will assistmachinists in their quest to achieve sustainability during the cutting operations oftitanium alloy.