Predicting Surface Residual Stress for Multi-Axis Milling of Ti-6Al-4V Titanium Alloy in Combined Simulation and Experiments

As one essential indicator of surface integrity, residual stress has an important influence on the fatigue performance of aero engines’ thin-walled parts. Larger compressive or smaller tensile residual stress is more prone to causing fatigue cracks. To optimize the state of residual stress, the relationship between the surface residual stress and the machining conditions is studied in this work. A radial basis function (RBF) neural network model based on simulated and experimental data is developed to predict the surface residual stress for multi-axis milling of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy. Firstly, a 3D numerical model is established and verified through a cutting experiment. These results are found to be in good agreement with average absolute errors of 11.6% and 15.2% in the σx and σy directions, respectively. Then, the RBF neural network is introduced to relate the machining parameters with the surface residual stress using simulated and experimental samples. A good correlation is observed between the experimental and the predicted results. The verification shows that the average prediction error rate is 14.4% in the σx direction and 17.2% in the σy direction. The effects of the inclination angle, cutting speed, and feed rate on the surface residual stress are investigated. The results show that the influence of machining parameters on surface residual stress is nonlinear. The proposed model provides guidance for the control of residual stress in the precision machining of complex thin-walled structures