Ti-6Al-4V is widely used in the aviation industry because of its high strength, and good heat resistance. However, severe tool wear on the rake face occurs during the milling of Ti-6Al-4V, which is caused by intense friction between the tool rake face and the chips. To investigate tool wear in the milling of Ti-6Al-4V, ultrasonic vibration is introduced, and a cutting force prediction model that considers tool-chip contact interface friction behavior in Ultrasonic Longitudinal-Torsional Vibration-Assisted Milling (ULTVAM) is proposed in this paper. First, the tool tip motion trajectory and dynamic cutting thickness under ULTVAM were analyzed calculated, and compared with those in Common Milling (CM). Subsequently, the effects of ultrasonic vibration on the shear force under the ultrasonic softening effect, the friction force, and the friction reversal force on the tool-chip contact interface were investigated. A dynamic milling force model under ULTVAM was established before and after friction force reversal caused by ultrasonic longitudinal-torsional vibration. Finally, numerous experiments were conducted to validate the proposed model, and the experimental results indicated that the calculated dynamic milling forces agreed well with the measured values, with errors in the X and Y directions of 5.51% and 10.23%, respectively. In addition, the average roughness of the workpiece surface also decreased (1.08, 0.9, 0.6, 0.7 μm under ultrasonic amplitudes of 0, 1, 2, and 3 μm) and the tool wear state improved on the rake face under ULTVAM.

Superior strength and high-temperature performance make γ-TiAl vital for lightweight aero-engines. However, its inherent brittleness poses machining problems. This study employed Elliptical Ultrasonic Vibration Milling (EUVM) to address these problems. Considering the influence of machining parameters on vibration patterns of EUVM, a separation time model was established to analyze the vibration evolutionary process, thereby instructing the cutting mechanism. On this basis, deep discussions regarding chip formation, cutting force, edge breakage, and subsurface layer deformation were conducted for EUVM and Conventional Milling (CM). Chip morphology showed the chip formation was rooted in the periodic brittle fracture. Local dimples proved that the thermal effect of high-speed cutting improved the plasticity of γ-TiAl. EUVM achieved a maximum 18.17% reduction in cutting force compared with CM. The force variation mechanism differed with changes in the cutting speed or the vibration amplitude, and its correlation with thermal softening, strain hardening, and vibratory cutting effects was analyzed. EUVM attained desirable edge break-age by achieving smaller fracture lengths. The fracture mechanisms of different phases were distinct, causing a surge in edge fracture size of γ-TiAl under microstructural differences. In terms of subsurface deformation, EUVM also showed strengthening effects. Noteworthy, the lamellar deformation patterns under the cutting removal state differed from the quasi-static, which was categorized by the orientation angles. Additionally, the electron backscattering diffraction provided details of the influence of microstructural difference on the orientation and the deformation of grains in the subsurface layer. The results demonstrate that EUVM is a promising machining method for γ-TiAl and guide further research and development of EUVM γ-TiAl.