RuAviation

Researchers at Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) in collaboration with the Gagarin Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant (KnAAP) have developed a methodology to reduce machining time for titanium alloy components. The proposed approach aligns with Russia’s import substitution strategy in the aerospace industry and enables transition to domestic cutting tools while maintaining production efficiency.

Titanium alloys offer an exceptional combination of strength, corrosion resistance, and thermal stability. However, their prolonged and costly machining presents significant technological challenges that MAI researchers are addressing.

“We faced a dual challenge: identifying the most effective cutting tools within the import substitution program while developing an optimized machining methodology tailored to component applications. The extreme thermal loads on cutting tools require fundamentally different approaches to cutting parameter selection,” stated Ekaterina Yakovenko, project leader and Deputy Director of Advanced Manufacturing Projects, Director of MAI’s Experimental Manufacturing Plant.

Yakovenko explained that titanium’s low thermal conductivity causes localized overheating in the cutting zone, while tool wear and high cutting forces generate vibrations that compromise machining accuracy. The project addresses two primary objectives: selecting effective domestic cutting tools and developing machining technology that accounts for component geometry, cutting parameters, and dynamic loads.

Specialists from MAI’s Department 104 (Technological Design and Quality Management) utilized comprehensive measurement equipment from Russian manufacturers SKIF-M, MION, and Haltek. Dynamometers monitored cutting forces while thermocouples and pyrometers controlled temperature conditions. Accelerometers analyzed vibration levels, and engineers assessed tool wear using microscopes and profilometers. Evaluation criteria included tool life, surface quality, and process stability.

The developed methodology was applied to a component with complex geometry requiring multi-operation processing with manufacturing cycle times of several weeks. Experimental data provided the foundation for comprehensive technological solutions, including cutting tool optimization, modified cutting parameters, specialized post-processor development, and refined tool path compensation (accounting for tool geometry), including high-speed milling strategies.

MAI confirmed completion of the methodology’s pilot testing phase. Specialists are now developing new control programs for machining centers that will enable component manufacturing using the optimized technology.

“We plan to implement the methodology and conduct physical post-processor validation at the KnAAP production facility in early fall,” the institute added.

MAI’s titanium alloy machining methodology represents a comprehensive solution combining optimal domestic tool selection, modified cutting parameters, and innovative machining strategies. Project implementation will reduce production cycles and establish a technological foundation for complete import substitution in this critical aerospace manufacturing sector.