Investigation of the effects of tool micro-geometry and coating on tool temperature during orthogonal turning of quenched and tempered steel

Reliable information about tool temperature distribution is of central importance in metal cutting. Application of dedicated charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor based near infrared (0.85–1.1 μm) imaging technique to the orthogonal turning of quenched and tempered steel is presented. Special attention was paid to the role of calibration on the interpretation of isotherms. Experimental results from systematic studies devoted to the role of heat source width, cutting parameters, edge micro-geometry and coating indicate the flexibility and reliability of this approach. Results compare favourably with those from other techniques capable of indicating tool isotherms as well as with numerical models based on FEM.