Tribological behaviour of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy sheets measured by a strip drawing test

This article presents the results of friction testing of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy 0.5 mm thickness sheets. The strip drawing test is the basic test for assessing the frictional properties of sheets intended for the sheet forming process. The device was mounted on a typical uniaxial tensile testing machine. The tests were carried out under dry friction and lubrication conditions with the use of a wide spectrum of oil types: gear oil 75W-85, engine oil 10W-40, machine oil L-AN 46 and hydraulic oil L-HL 46. Moreover, the use of biodegradable vegetable lubrication is also examined, i.e., rape-seed and palm oils, with the addition of boric acid with a concentration of 5% w/w. Experimental studies have shown that 10W-40 engine oil was the most effective in reducing the coefficient of friction in the pressure range of 10.7 MPa-16.3 MPa (typical pressure range for the deep drawing process).