Experimental Study on the Microscale Milling Process of DD5 Nickel-Based Single-Crystal Superalloy

Technological advances have expanded the use of single-crystal in microscale applications—particularly in infrared optics, electronics, and aerospace. Conducting research on the surface quality of micro-milling processes for single-crystal superalloys has become a key factor in expanding their applications. In this paper, the nickel-based single-crystal superalloy DD5 is selected as the test object, and the finite element analysis software ABAQUS 2022 version is used to conduct a simulation study on its micro-scale milling process with reasonable milling parameters. A three-factor five-level L₂₅(5³) slot milling orthogonal experiment is conducted to investigate the effects of milling speed, milling depth, and feed rate on its milling force and surface quality, respectively. The results show that the milling depth has the greatest impact on the milling force during the micro-milling process, while the milling speed has the greatest influence on the surface quality. Finally, based on the experimental data, the optimal parameter combination for micro-milling nickel-based single-crystal superalloy DD5 parts is found—when the milling speed is 1318.8 mm/s; the milling depth is 12 µm; the feed rate is 20 µm/s; and the surface roughness value is at its minimum, indicating the best surface quality—which has certain guiding significance for practical machining.