Effect of Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing and Plasma-Sprayed Hydroxyapatite Coating on Ultrasonic Machining Characteristics of Ti6Al4V
摘要
In the present investigation, Ti6Al4V substrates were fabricated using Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) and subsequently coated with hydroxyapatite (HAp) through atmospheric plasma spraying for potential biomedical applications. The deposited hydroxyapatite (HAp) coating and substrate were characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Cross-sectional analysis revealed a relatively continuous hydroxyapatite (HAp) coating with thickness of (162.5 ± 8.0 µm) along with characteristic lamellar splat morphology and effective interfacial mechanical interlocking. The ultrasonic machining (USM) behavior of bare WAAM Ti6Al4V and HAp-coated samples was investigated using Response Surface Methodology (RSM)-based Face-Centered Central Composite Design (FCCD). The influence of mesh size, feed rate, and tool rotation on the material removal rate (MRR) was systematically evaluated. The HAp-coated specimens exhibited comparatively higher MRR due to the brittle fracture-dominated removal mechanism involving hydroxyapatite (HAp) coating fragmentation and splat pull-out, whereas Ti6Al4V primarily showed ductile plowing and micro-cutting behavior. ANOVA analysis confirmed the statistical significance of the developed quadratic models with high prediction capability (R2 > 0.98). Numerical optimization identified 800 grit mesh size, 10 mm/min feed rate, and 1000 RPM tool rotation as the optimum condition for achieving minimum MRR with a desirability value of 0.989.