An investigation of heat partition and tool wear in hard turning of H13 tool steel with CBN cutting tools

This paper presents results of an investigation into the tool life and the tool wear behaviour of low content CBN cutting tools used in hard turning of hardened H13 tool steel. The approach followed here required both experimental work and finite element thermal modelling. The experiments involved measuring the cutting forces, cutting temperatures, tool wear, and the contact area. Using the measured cutting forces and the contact area in the orthogonal cutting model, we calculated the heat flux on the tool and applied it in the FE thermal analysis. The temperatures history from the analysis was matched with the experimental data to estimate the fraction of heat entering the tool for both conventional and high speeds. The heat partition into the tool was estimated to be around 21–22% for conventional speeds, whereas for high-speed turning, it was around 14%. The tool wear, however, was found to be dominated by chipping for both cutting speeds and could be reduced considerably by reducing the amount of heat entering the tool.     

CN35硬质合金涂层刀具高速车削淬硬钢的磨损与破损形态

借助于扫描电镜照片和能谱分析,对高速车削淬硬45钢时CN35硬质合金涂层刀具的失效形态及其机理进行了观察和分析。结果显示,在高速切削条件下,涂层刀具的失效形态主要分为破损与磨损两种,刀具正常磨损失效过程仍然遵循常规切削条件下三个阶段的程序。刀具破损失效发生在低速切削阶段,且随着切削速度的提高,破损部位由后刀面转移到前刀面;高速切削时,刀具失效形式倾向于后刀面磨损、边界磨损和切削刃斜面磨损,因高热、粘结、疲劳、氧化、扩散和热裂等原因造成刀具切削功能丧失。     

Investigation of the effects of cooling in hard turning operations

As a means to overcome the limitations of cutting fluids in machining, more and more attention is being paid to the internal cooling of cutting tools. The elevated cutting zone temperature in hard turning causes the instant boiling of coolant in the cutting zone, which pulls down the tool life and surface finish, by making thermal distortions and hence in most of the hard turning operations, the coolant is not used at all. The absence of coolant also reduces the tool life and surface finish to some extent. As an alternative solution to the direct application of coolant in the metal cutting zone to improve tool life and surface finish, the heat pipe cooling system is introduced in this investigation. A parametric study is conducted to analyze the effects of different heat pipe parameters such as diameter of heat pipe, length of heat pipe, magnitude of vacuum in the heat pipe and material of heat pipe. All these parameters are varied to three levels. In this analysis, it is assumed that the single point cutting tool is subjected to static heating in the cutting zone which verifies the analysis and feasibility of using heat pipe cooling in turning operations. The heat pipe parameters are optimized by using Taguchi’s Design of Experiments and a confirmation test is conducted by employing the heat pipe fabricated with the best values of parameters. The results of the confirmation test are compared with the previous experimental results. The comparison shows that the use of a heat pipe in hard turning operations reduces the temperature field by about 5%, improves tool life by reducing tool wear and improves surface finish significantly. The result of this analysis is applicable to define controlling parameters of heat pipes for optimal design and set-up for various related studies. The finite element analysis also shows that the temperature drops greatly at the cutting zone and that the heat flow to the tool is effectively removed when a heat pipe is incorporated.     

Cooling performance of micro-texture at the tool flank face under high pressure jet coolant assistance

Micro-texture at the tool face is a state-of-the-art technique to improve cutting performance. In this paper, five types of micro-texture were fabricated at the flank face to improve the cooling performance under the condition of high pressure jet coolant assistance. By using micro-textures consisted of pin fins, plate fins and pits fabricated 0.3 mm away from the cutting edge, heat transfer from the tool face to coolant was enhanced. The conditions of tool wear, adhesion and chip formation were compared between the micro-textured and non-patterned tools in the longitudinal turning of the nickel-based superalloy Inconel 718. As a result, micro-textured tools always exhibited the reduced flank and crater wear compared with the non-patterned tool, and the rate of tool wear was influenced by the array and height of fin. The energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis of worn flank faces and the electromotive forces obtained from the tool-work thermocouple supported better cooling performances of micro-textured tools. In addition, coolant deposition at flank face evidenced that heat transfer could be promoted by micro-texture near the border of the contact area between the flank wear land and machined surface. Finally, the changes of flow patterns with pit depth are analyzed for pit type tools by computational fluid dynamics. This investigation clearly showed the function of micro-textures for increasing the turbulent kinetic energy and cooling the textured tool face.     

Analytical prediction of cutting tool wear

An analytical method is presented which enables the crater and flank wear of tungsten carbide tools to be predicted for a wide variety of tool shapes and cutting conditions in practical turning operations based only on orthogonal cutting data from machining and two wear characteristic constants. A wear characteristic equation is first derived theoretically and verified experimentally. An energy method is developed to predict chip formation and cutting forces in turning with a single-point tool from the orthogonal cutting data. Using these predicted results, stress and temperature on the wear faces can be calculated. Computer simulation of the development of wear is then carried out by using the characteristic equation and the predicted stresses and temperatures upon the wear faces. The predicted wear progress and tool life are in good agreement with experimental results.     

The Effect of Argon-Enriched Environment in High-Speed Machining of Titanium Alloy

A major factor hindering the machinability of titanium alloys is their tendency to react with most cutting tool materials, thereby encouraging solution wear during machining. Machining in an inert environment is envisaged to minimize chemical reaction at the tool-chip and tool-workpiece interfaces when machining commercially available titanium alloys at higher cutting conditions. This article presents the results of machining trials carried out with uncoated carbide (ISO K10 grade) tools in an argon-enriched environment at cutting conditions typical of finish turning operations. Comparative trials were carried out at the same cutting conditions under conventional coolant supply. Results of the machining trials show that machining in an argon-enriched environment gave lower tool life relative to conventional coolant supply. Nose wear was the dominant tool-failure mode in all the cutting conditions investigated. Argon is a poor conductor of heat; thus, heat generated during machining tends to concentrate in the cutting region and accelerate tool wear. Argon also has poor lubrication characteristics, leading to increasing friction at the cutting interfaces during machining and an increase in cutting forces required for efficient shearing of the workpiece.     

精密硬车加工轴承套圈的表面完整性试验研究

针对磨削加工中套圈精密加工存在的不足,进行精密硬车削加工轴承套圈新工艺的开发,通过加工试验分析了精密硬车加工轴承套圈的表面完整性,探究了基准面平面度、刀具磨损量等工艺参数与加工精度的对应关系。基于精密硬车削套圈试样的表面粗糙度、沟道圆度、显微硬度、热损伤、金相组织、残余应力分布、加工效率等方面的研究,得出了精密硬车削可达到磨削加工精度的结论,且金相组织稳定,不易存在热损伤,具有可控的残余应力分布和较高的加工效率,有利于产业化生产高精密轴承。利用磁性卡盘装夹套圈,分析试样基准面平面度对精密硬车削套圈沟道圆度的影响,发现提高基准面平面度可以有效提高加工套圈的沟道圆度;分析了刀具磨损对硬车削套圈加工精度的影响,得出在精密加工阶段刀具磨损量是控制套圈圆度的重要监控工艺参数的结论。     

2D FEM estimate of tool wear in turning operation

Finite element method (FEM) is a powerful tool to predict cutting process variables, which are difficult to obtain with experimental methods. In this paper, modelling techniques on continuous chip formation by using the commercial FEM code ABAQUS are discussed. A combination of three chip formation analysis steps including initial chip formation, chip growth and steady-state chip formation, is used to simulate the continuous chip formation process. Steady chip shape, cutting force, and heat flux at tool/chip and tool/work interface are obtained. Further, after introducing a heat transfer analysis, temperature distribution in the cutting insert at steady state is obtained. In this way, cutting process variables e.g. contact pressure (normal stress) at tool/chip and tool/work interface, relative sliding velocity and cutting temperature distribution at steady state are predicted. Many researches show that tool wear rate is dependent on these cutting process variables and their relationship is described by some wear rate models. Through implementing a Python-based tool wear estimate program, which launches chip formation analysis, reads predicted cutting process variables, calculates tool wear based on wear rate model and then updates tool geometry, tool wear progress in turning operation is estimated. In addition, the predicted crater wear and flank wear are verified with experimental results.     

Finite element modeling of ultrasonic-assisted turning: cutting force and heat generation

Abstract

Adding ultrasonic vibrations to conventional turning can improve the process in terms of cutting force, surface finish and so on. One of the most important factors in machining is the heat generation during the cutting process. In ultrasonic-assisted turning (UAT) the tool tip also vibrates at very high frequency and this sinusoidal motion causes complexity in heat modeling of the cutting system. Modeling and simulation of cutting processes can help to understand the nature of process and provides information to select optimum conditions and machining parameters. In this article, a finite element model has been developed for predicting tool tip temperature in UAT. The effect of machining parameters including cutting speed, feed rate and amplitude of vibration on the tool tip temperature has been investigated. In order to simplify the machining process, the cutting experiment has been carried out in dry condition. The results showed that by applying ultrasonic vibration to the cutting tool, the tool tip flash temperature increases but in some condition its average value could be less than the conventional machining.     

Enhancing the machining performance by cutting tool surface modifications: a focused review

In machining, cutting tools suffer from severe surface wear, especially in the cutting of difficult-to-cut materials. A major cause of tool wear is the friction generated at the tool-work and tool-chip interfaces, which produces a great deal of frictional heat and abrasion. In order to extend tool life and improve the quality of machined components, a host of techniques have been applied to modify the rake and flank faces of cutting tools. These techniques aim at providing cutting tools with improved resistance to external loading, better tribological performance and/or better chemical stability. This article presents a review of the fundamentals behind which the friction and wear in machining are reduced by modifying the cutting tool surface with the commonly used techniques, such as surface coating, high energy beam treatment, and surface texturing. The effects of these surface modifications on improving the cutting performance are also analyzed. Future research directions are finally discussed.     

Analysis of tool wear and surface finish in hard turning

Hard turning is a profitable alternative to finish grinding. The ultimate aim of hard turning is to remove work piece material in a single cut rather than a lengthy grinding operation in order to reduce processing time, production cost, surface roughness, and setup time, and to remain competitive. In recent years, interrupted hard turning, which is the process of turning hardened parts with areas of interrupted surfaces, has also been encouraged. The process of hard turning offers many potential benefits compared to the conventional grinding operation. Additionally, tool wear, tool life, quality of surface turned, and amount of material removed are also predicted. In this analysis, 18 different machining conditions, with three different grades of polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN), cutting tool are considered. This paper describes the various characteristics in terms of component quality, tool life, tool wear, effects of individual parameters on tool life and material removal, and economics of operation. The newer solution, a hard turning operation, is performed on a lathe. In this study, the PCBN tool inserts are used with a WIDAX PT GNR 2525 M16 tool holder. The hardened material selected for hard turning is commercially available engine crank pin material.     

奥-贝球墨铸铁加工表面质量的试验研究

用试验的方法研究了奥－贝球墨铸铁的加工表面形态、已加工表面粗糙度，分析了切削用量和刀具几何角度对加工表面粗糙度的影响．结果表明，已加工表面质量与刀具切削刃不平整及材料组织有关。为提高加工表面质置，必须优选切削参数，重视刀具磨损、后刀面粗糙度及工件材料组织的缺陷。     

Suppression of tool damage in ultraprecision diamond machining of stainless steel by applying electron-beam-excited plasma nitriding

Mirror surface machining of stainless steel with single-crystalline diamond tools is proposed in this study by applying a new nitriding method, called electron-beam-excited-plasma (EBEP) nitriding, to workpiece surfaces as pretreatment. It is well known that mirror surface finish of steel workpieces by conventional diamond cutting is unachievable owing to rapid tool wear. Nitriding of steel workpieces has been one of the several attempts to prevent the rapid tool wear of diamond tools. It has been reported that the rapid tool wear is caused by thermochemical interaction between diamond and steel, and that the wear can be greatly reduced by nitriding of steel. However, hard compounds formed on the outmost surfaces of workpieces by the conventional nitriding methods can cause micro-chippings of cutting tools. The authors has recently developed a new nitriding method called EBEP nitriding, in which a high dissociation rate for nitrogen molecules is achieved using the electron-beam-excited-plasma, and iron-compounds-free nitriding has been realized. Therefore, the EBEP nitriding is applied to a typical mold material, modified AISI 420 stainless steel, aiming at suppressing the micro-chippings as well as the thermochemical tool wear during diamond cutting of the stainless steel. The conventional ion nitriding and the gas nitrocarburizing are also applied to the same stainless steel in comparison. Chemical components of the nitrided workpiece surfaces are analyzed by an electron prove micro-analyzer (EPMA) and an X-ray diffraction (XRD) in advance, and turning experiments are conducted with single-crystalline diamond tools. Subsequently, changes in cutting forces and roughness of finished surfaces and tool damages after the turning experiments are evaluated. Finally, mirror surface machining by using the EBEP nitriding is demonstrated, and its advantages and disadvantages in the diamond cutting of stainless steel are summarized in comparison with the conventional nitriding methods.     

Tool wear, chip formation and workpiece surface issues in CBN hard turning: A review

Steel parts that carry critical loads in everything from automotive drive trains and jet engines to industrial bearings and metal-forming machinery are normally produced by a series of processes, including time-consuming and costly grinding and polishing operations. Due to the advent of super-hard materials such as polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) cutting tools and improved machine tool designs, hard turning has become an attractive alternative to grinding for steel parts. The potential of hard turning to eliminate the costs associated with additional finishing processes in conventional machining is appealing to industry. The objective of this paper, is to survey the recent research progress in hard turning with CBN tools in regard of tool wear, surface issues and chip formation. A significant pool of CBN turning studies has been surveyed in an attempt to achieve better understanding of tool wear, chip formation, surface finish, white layer formation, micro-hardness variation and residual stress on the basis of varying CBN content, binder, tool edge geometry, cooling methods and cutting parameters. Further important modeling techniques based on finite element, soft computing and other mathematical approaches used in CBN turning are reviewed. In conclusion, a summary of the CBN turning and modeling techniques is outlined and the scope of future work is presented.     

Performance comparison of conventional and wiper ceramic inserts in hard turning through artificial neural network modeling

Hard turning with ceramic tools provides an alternative to grinding operation in machining high precision and hardened components. But, the main concerns are the cost of expensive tool materials and the effect of the process on machinability. The poor selection of cutting conditions may lead to excessive tool wear and increased surface roughness of workpiece. Hence, there is a need to investigate the effects of process parameters on machinability characteristics in hard turning. In this work, the influence of cutting speed, feed rate, and machining time on machinability aspects such as specific cutting force, surface roughness, and tool wear in AISI D2 cold work tool steel hard turning with three different ceramic inserts, namely, CC650, CC650WG, and GC6050WH has been studied. A multilayer feed-forward artificial neural network (ANN), trained using error back-propagation training algorithm has been employed for predicting the machinability. The input?Coutput patterns required for ANN training and testing are obtained from the turning experiments planned through full factorial design. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of ANN models to analyze the effects of cutting conditions as well as to study the performance of conventional and wiper ceramic inserts on machinability.     

3D analysis of surface topography in vibratory turning

High quality of machined surfaces is an important requirement in production industries. Therefore, different methods such as ultrasonic vibrations are implemented to improve this parameter. In this study, it is tried to specify some of effective parameters on surface improvement in ultrasonic-assisted turning. Accordingly, a series of experiments in the way of conventional and vibratory turning are conducted where surface roughness and surface topography are evaluated as main objectives of this work. Furthermore, analysis of tool wear and radial displacement of tool and workpiece are carried out for explanation of surface enhancement in vibratory turning. As a result, it is shown that generated typical peaks and valleys in conventional turning are flattened and reduced in vibratory turning which is explained by existence of lower radial force.     

A comparative study of multilayer and functionally graded coated tools in high-speed machining

Multilayer-coated tool systems have been effective in controlling mechanical and thermal loads, especially in high-speed cutting regime. In this study, cutting performance of tungsten carbide tools with restricted contact length and multilayer chemical vapour deposition deposited coatings, TiCN/Al₂O₃/TiN (in series) and TiCN/Al₂O₃–TiN (functionally graded), was investigated in dry turning. Cutting tests were conducted on low carbon alloy steel AISI/SAE 4140 over a wide range of cutting speeds between 200 and 879?m/min. Results including cutting forces, chip compression ratio, shear angle, contact area inclusive of sticking and sliding phenomena and tool flank wear are presented. In particular, prediction of heat partition into the cutting tool inserts was carried out using a combination of experimental tests and the finite element method. The results show that coating layouts and cutting tool edge geometry can significantly affect heat distribution into the cutting tool. The paper clearly shows the role and potential benefits of applying different top coats on the rake and flank faces with regards contact phenomenon, impact on thermal shielding and tool wear. An appropriate coating layout selection is crucial in controlling tool wear, especially in high-speed machining.     

Wear mechanism of the loose layer on the rake face of a new cemented carbide micro groove turning tool

The loose layer can appear on the rake face of a turning tool under certain cutting conditions and have an important influence on the rake face wear. In this paper, wear morphology and wear mechanism of loose layer on the rake face of the original turning tool and the new cemented carbide micro groove turning tool developed independently during the cutting process are studied, by the combination of theoretical analysis and cutting test. And the relationships between the diffusion wear and the adhesive wear of the loose layer on the rake face of the new micro groove turning tool are further analyzed and revealed. The research results show that the loose layer on the rake face of two turning tools is caused by the diffusion wear, which is formed by the brittleness-weakening of tool material in the region resulting from elements diffusion. Meanwhile, the wear degree of the rake face of tools is aggravated by the mutual promotion of diffusion wear and adhesive wear. In the normal wear stage, the degree of looseness and brittleness of the rake face of the original turning tool is greater than the one of the micro groove turning tool. In the severe wear stage, cobalt elements in the rake face of the two turning tools are dissolved and diffused in varying degrees, which further aggravates the brittle-weakening of materials in the region. But the degree of loose brittleness of the rake face of the original turning tool is still greater than the one of the micro groove turning tool. It can be concluded that the micro groove on the rake face of the new turning tool can improve the rake face wear to a certain extent.     

Measurement and optimization of surface roughness and tool wear via grey relational analysis,TOPSIS and RSA techniques

Magnesium alloy (Mg alloy) is one among the lightest materials and which has wide applications in the production of aircraft engines, airframes, helicopter components, light trucks, automotive parts and computers parts for its attractive properties. In this paper, a study to analyze the turning properties of magnesium alloy AZ91D in dry condition with polycrystalline diamond (PCD) cutting inserts is presented. Firstly, to investigate turning of magnesium alloy using grey relational analysis and TOPSIS of optimum cutting parameter values. Secondly, to determine using response surface analysis of mathematical model depending on cutting parameters of surface roughness and tool flank wear in turning. The adequacy of the developed mathematical model is proved by ANOVA. The findings from the investigation showed that feed rate and cutting speed are the dominant factors for surface roughness and tool flank wear respectively.     

Evaluation of performance of nanofluid using multiwalled carbon nanotubes for machining of Ti–6AL–4V

Machining of titanium alloys generate very high temperature in the cutting zone. This results in rapid tool wear and poor surface properties. Therefore, improvement in cutting performance in machining of titanium alloys is very much dependent on effectiveness of the cooling strategies applied. In the present work, performance of nanofluid using multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) dispersed in distilled water and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as surfactant is evaluated for turning operation on Ti–6Al–4V workpieces. Turning operations were carried out under three different conditions – dry, with conventional cutting fluid and with nanofluid. Nanofluid application was limited to 1 L/h and it was applied at the tool tip through gravity feed. Various machining responses like cutting force, surface finish and tool wear were analyzed while turning at optimum cutting parameters as 150 m/min, 0.1 mm/rev and 1 mm depth of cut. Later on, machining performance of nanofluid is confirmed at low cutting speed of 90 m/min. Nanofluid outperformed conventional cutting fluid with 34% reduction in tool wear, average 28% drop in cutting forces and 7% decrease in surface roughness at cutting speed of 150 m/min.