INDUCTION-HEATED TOOL MACHINING OF ELASTOMERS—PART 1: FINITE DIFFERENCE THERMAL MODELING AND EXPERIMENTAL VALIDATION

Experiments and finite difference thermal modeling of the induction-heated tool for end milling of elastomers are investigated. Three sets of experiments are designed to calibrate the contact thermocouple for the tool tip temperature measurement, study the effect of tool rotational speed on induction heat generation and convective heat transfer, and measure the tool temperature distribution for finite difference inverse heat transfer solution and validation of modeling results. Experimental results indicate that effects of tool rotation on induction heat generation and convective heat transfer are negligible when the spindle speed is below 2000 rpm. A finite difference thermal model of the tool and insulator is developed to predict the distribution of tool temperature. The thermal model of a stationary tool can be expanded to predict the temperature distribution of an induction-heated rotary tool within a specific spindle speed range. Experimental measurements validate that the thermal model can accurately predict tool tip peak temperature.