Milling of gamma titanium-aluminum alloys

The present research is focused on the machinability of the gamma-TiAl alloys, also called in literature as titanium aluminides, under the milling process. In comparison with the alpha-beta alloys, the alloys solidified in the gamma phase present improved ratio between strength and density even at higher temperatures; however, hard and new machining problems appear. Currently, there is a lack of machining parameters for this kind of materials, and therefore, its inclusion in aeronautical and automotive applications is being delayed. This work summarizes the results of a testing program which offers an outlook on the cutting conditions when machining even more difficult-to-cut titanium alloys than the more spread and known structural alpha-beta alloys.