Effects of the friction coefficient on the minimum cutting thickness in micro cutting

In the ultra precision diamond cutting process, the rake angle of the tool is likely to become negative because the edge radius of tool is considerably large compared to the sub-micrometer depth of cut. The round edge of the tool might sometimes cause plowing results in a poor surface, or burnishing which results in a shiny surface depending on the depth of cut. This study deals with the relationship between the friction of a tool-workpiece and the minimum cutting thickness in micro cutting. Proposed is an ultra precision cutting model in which the tool edge radius and the friction coefficient are the principal factors determining the minimum cutting thickness with a continuous chip. According to the model, a smaller edge radius and a higher friction coefficient make the cutting depth thinner. The experimental results verify the proposed model and provide various supporting evidence.     

Crack initiation in relation to the tool edge radius and cutting conditions in nanoscale cutting of silicon

In cutting of brittle materials, experimentally it was observed that there is a ductile–brittle transition when the undeformed chip thickness is increased from smaller to larger than the tool cutting edge radius of the zero rake angle. However, how the crack is initiated in the ductile–brittle mode transition as the undeformed chip thickness is increased from smaller to larger than the tool cutting edge radius has not been fully understood. In this study, the crack initiation in the ductile–brittle mode transition as the undeformed chip thickness is increased from smaller to larger than the tool cutting edge radius has been simulated using the Molecular Dynamics (MD) method on nanoscale cutting of monocrystalline silicon with a non-zero edge radius tool, from which, for the first time, a peak deformation zone in the chip formation zone has been found in the transition from ductile mode to brittle mode cutting. The results show that as the undeformed chip thickness is larger than the cutting edge radius, in the chip formation zone there is a peak deformation depth in association with the connecting point of tool edge arc and the rake face, and there is a crack initiation zone in the undeformed workpiece next to the peak deformation zone, in which the material is tensile stressed and the tensile stress is perpendicular to the direction from the connecting point to the peak. As the undeformed chip thickness is smaller than the cutting edge radius, there is no deformation peak in the chip formation zone, and thus there is no crack initiation zone formed in the undeformed workpiece. This finding explains well the ductile–brittle transition as the undeformed chip thickness increases from smaller to larger than the tool cutting edge radius.     

Friction and cutting forces in cryogenic machining of Ti–6Al–4V

Conventional cutting fluid serves both as a coolant and lubricant. In cryogenic machining, liquid nitrogen (LN2) is recognized as an effective coolant due to its low temperature; however, its lubrication properties are not well known. The focus of this study was to investigate how the friction between the chip and the tool is affected by focused jetting LN2 to the cutting point in machining Ti–6Al–4V. Results of cutting force measurements indicated that the cold strengthening of titanium material increased the cutting force in cryogenic machining, but lower friction reduced the feed force. A mathematical model was developed to convert the measured 3D forces in oblique cutting into the normal and frictional force components on the tool rake face, and then to calculate the effective friction coefficient. It was found that the friction coefficient on the tool–chip interface was considerably reduced in cryogenic machining. Increased shear angle and decreased thickness of the secondary deformation zone, findings from a chip microstructure study, offer further evidence that friction is reduced.     

Modeling of minimum uncut chip thickness in micro machining of aluminum

Micro mechanical machining operations can fabricate miniaturized components from a wide range of engineering materials; however, there are several challenges during the operations that can cause dimensional inaccuracies and low productivity. In order to select optimal machining parameters, the material removal behavior during micro machining operations needs to be understood and implemented in models. The presence of the tool edge radius in micro machining, which is comparable in size to the uncut chip thickness, introduces a minimum uncut chip thickness (MUCT) under which the material is not removed but ploughed, resulting in increased machining forces that affect the surface integrity of the workpiece. This paper investigates the MUCT of rounded-edge tools. Analytical models based on identifying the stagnant point of the workpiece material during the machining have been proposed. Based on the models, the MUCT is found to be functions of the edge radius and friction coefficient, which is dependent on the tool geometry and properties of the workpiece material. The necessary parameters for the model are obtained experimentally from orthogonal cutting tests using a rounded-edge tool. The minimum uncut chip thickness (MUCT) is then verified with experimental tests using an aluminum workpiece.     

Experimental and numerical modelling of the residual stresses induced in orthogonal cutting of AISI 316L steel

Residual stresses in the machined surface layers are affected by the cutting tool, work material, cutting regime parameters (cutting speed, feed and depth of cut) and contact conditions at the tool/chip and tool/workpiece interfaces. In this paper, the effects of tool geometry, tool coating and cutting regime parameters on residual stress distribution in the machined surface and subsurface of AISI 316L steel are experimentally and numerically investigated. In the former case, the X-ray diffraction technique is applied, while in the latter an elastic–viscoplastic FEM formulation is implemented. The results show that residual stresses increase with most of the cutting parameters, including cutting speed, uncut chip thickness and tool cutting edge radius. However, from the range of cutting parameters investigated, uncut chip thickness seems to be the parameter that has the strongest influence on residual stresses. The results also show that sequential cuts tend to increase superficial residual stresses.     

Mechanics of high speed cutting with curvilinear edge tools

High speed cutting is advantageous due to the reduced forces and power, increased energy savings, and overall improved productivity for discrete-part metal manufacturing. However, tool edge geometry and combined cutting conditions highly affects the performance of high speed cutting. In this study, mechanics of cutting with curvilinear (round and oval-like) edge preparation tools in the presence of dead metal zone has been presented to investigate the effects of edge geometry and cutting conditions on the friction and resultant tool temperatures. An analytical slip-line field model is utilized to study the cutting mechanics and friction at the tool-chip and tool–workpiece interfaces in the presence of the dead metal zone in machining with negative rake curvilinear PCBN tools. Inserts with six different edge designs, including a chamfered edge, are tested with a set of orthogonal cutting experiments on AISI 4340 steel. Friction conditions in each different edge design are identified by utilizing the forces and chip geometries measured. Finite-element simulations are conducted using the friction conditions identified and process predictions are compared with experiments. Analyses of temperature, strain, and stress fields are utilized in understanding the mechanics of machining with curvilinear tools.     

Self-lubrication of sintered ceramic tools with CaF2 additions in dry cutting

An Al₂O₃/TiC ceramic cutting tool with the additions of CaF₂ solid lubricant was produced by hot pressing. The fundamental properties of this ceramic cutting tool were examined. Dry machining tests were carried out on hardened steel and cast iron. The tool wear, the cutting forces, and the friction coefficient between the tool–chip interface were measured. It was shown that the friction coefficient at the tool–chip interface in dry cutting of hardened steel and cast iron with Al₂O₃/TiC/CaF₂ ceramic tool was reduced compared with that of Al₂O₃/TiC tool without CaF₂ solid lubricant. The mechanisms responsible were determined to be the formation of a self-lubricating film on the tool–chip interface, and the composition of this self-lubricating film was found to be mainly CaF₂ solid lubricant, which was released and smeared on the wear track of the tool rake face, and acted as lubricating additive between the tool–chip sliding couple during machining processes. The appearance of this self-lubricating film contributed to the decrease of the friction coefficient. Cutting speed was found to have a profound effect on this self-lubricating behavior.     

Characterization of the transition from ploughing to cutting in micro machining and evaluation of the minimum thickness of cut

When the machining process is miniaturized two process mechanisms, ploughing and chip formation, are essential and a critical cutting thickness needs to be exceeded so that not only ploughing will occur but chips will also be formed. The ploughing effect thereby influences the chip formation process, workpiece surface roughness, burr formation and residual stress state after processing and is therefore of great interest. In order to optimize the machining process a better understanding of the minimum thickness of cut is crucial.The changes in surface topography along the cutting track occurring during machining with a constant feed rate of the cutting tool were analyzed. The influence of the built-up edge phenomena on the micro machining process was investigated for normalized AISI 1045 using confocal white light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore the sin²ψ-method was applied in order to study the residual stress state in the workpiece surface induced by the machining process. Both surface layer properties investigated, surface roughness and residual stresses, show a characteristic transition indicating a change in the dominating process mechanisms. Based on these results a model is developed to determine the minimum thickness of cut. The minimum thickness of cut is found to significantly decrease with higher cutting velocities and to moderately increase with higher cutting edge radii. In addition a propagation of error for the values obtained with the model was performed, proving the quality of the model developed.     

Cutting temperature of ceramic tools in high speed machining of difficult-to-cut materials

This paper deals with an experimental and analytical investigation into the different factors which influence the temperature distribution on Al₂O₃---TiC ceramic tool rake face during machining of difficult-to-cut materials, such as case hardened AISI 1552 steel (60–65 Rc) and nickel-based superalloys (e.g. Inconel 718). The temperature distribution was predicted first using the finite element analysis. Temperature measurements on the tool rake face using a thermocouple based technique were performed and the results were verified using the finite element analysis. Experiments were then performed to study the effect of cutting parameters, different tool geometries, tool conditions, and workpiece materials on the cutting edge temperatures. Results presented in this paper indicate that for turning case hardened steel, increasing the cutting speed, feted, and depth of cut will increase the cutting edge temperature. On the other hand, increasing the tool nose radius, and angle of approach reduces the cutting edge temperature, while increasing the width of the tool chamfer will slightly increase the cutting ege temperature. As for the negative rake angle, it was found that there is an optimum value of rake angle where the cutting edge temperature was minimum. For the Inconel 718 material, it was found that the cutting edge temperature reached a minimum at a speed of 510 m/min, and feed of 1.25 mm/rev. However, the effect of the depth of cut and tool nose radius was almost the same as that determined in the turning of case hardened steel. It was also observed in turning Inconel 718 with ceramic tools that, cutting forces and different types of tool wear were reduced with increasing the feed.     

Study of the mechanism of nanoscale ductile mode cutting of silicon using molecular dynamics simulation

In cutting of brittle materials, it was observed that there is a brittle-ductile transition when two conditions are satisfied. One is that the undeformed chip thickness is smaller than the tool edge radius; the other is that the tool cutting edge radius should be small enough—on a nanoscale. However, the mechanism has not been clearly understood. In this study, the Molecular Dynamics method is employed to model and simulate the nanoscale ductile mode cutting of monocrystalline silicon wafer. From the simulated results, it is found that when the ductile cutting mode is achieved in the cutting process, the thrust force acting on the cutting tool is larger than the cutting force. As the undeformed chip thickness increases, the compressive stress in the cutting zone decreases, giving way to crack propagation in the chip formation zone. As the tool cutting edge radius increases, the shear stress in the workpiece material around the cutting edge decreases down to a lower level, at which the shear stress is insufficient to sustain dislocation emission in the chip formation zone, and crack propagation becomes dominating. Consequently, the chip formation mode changes from ductile to brittle.     

Effects of micro-milling conditions on the cutting forces and process stability

Determining stable cutting conditions for corresponding cutting tools with specific geometries is essential for achieving precision micro-milling with high surface quality. Therefore, this paper investigates the influence of the tool rake angle, tool wear and workpiece preheating on the cutting forces and process stability. An advanced micro-milling cutting force model considering the tool wear is proposed. The micro-milling cutting forces are predicted and compared with experimentally obtained results for two cutting conditions and four edge radii measured at different stages of the tool wear. It is found that the cutting forces increase by increasing the edge radius. It is also observed that the cutting forces are higher at a rake angle of 0° compared with a rake angle of 8°. The increase of the cutting forces is mainly associated with the change of the friction conditions between the tool and workpiece contact. Stability lobes are obtained for different edge radii, rake angles of 0° and 8°, initial workpiece temperature and different measured static run-outs. The predicted stability lobes are compared with the micro-milling force signals transformed into the frequency domain. It is observed that the predicted stability limits result in good correlation with the experimentally obtained chatter free conditions. Also, the stability limits are higher at smaller edge radii, higher preheating workpiece temperature and positive rake angles.     

Process simulation using finite element method — prediction of cutting forces, tool stresses and temperatures in high-speed flat end milling

End milling of die/mold steels is a highly demanding operation because of the temperatures and stresses generated on the cutting tool due to high workpiece hardness. Modeling and simulation of cutting processes have the potential for improving cutting tool designs and selecting optimum conditions, especially in advanced applications such as high-speed milling. The main objective of this study was to develop a methodology for simulating the cutting process in flat end milling operation and predicting chip flow, cutting forces, tool stresses and temperatures using finite element analysis (FEA). As an application, machining of P-20 mold steel at 30 HRC hardness using uncoated carbide tooling was investigated. Using the commercially available software DEFORM-2D™, previously developed flow stress data of the workpiece material and friction at the chip–tool contact at high deformation rates and temperatures were used. A modular representation of undeformed chip geometry was used by utilizing plane strain and axisymmetric workpiece deformation models in order to predict chip formation at the primary and secondary cutting edges of the flat end milling insert. Dry machining experiments for slot milling were conducted using single insert flat end mills with a straight cutting edge (i.e. null helix angle). Comparisons of predicted cutting forces with the measured forces showed reasonable agreement and indicate that the tool stresses and temperatures are also predicted with acceptable accuracy. The highest tool temperatures were predicted at the primary cutting edge of the flat end mill insert regardless of cutting conditions. These temperatures increase wear development at the primary cutting edge. However, the highest tool stresses were predicted at the secondary (around corner radius) cutting edge.     

Determination of tool friction in presence of flank wear and stress distribution based validation using finite element simulations in machining of titanium and nickel based alloys

Tool friction plays a very important role in machining titanium and nickel-based alloys and is an important parameter in Finite Element based machining simulations. It is the source for the high amount of heat generation, and as a result, the excessive flank wear during machining these materials. The worn tool is known to create poor surface qualities with high tensile surface residual stresses, machining induced surface hardening, and undesirable surface roughness. It is essential to develop a methodology to determine how and to what extent the friction is built up on the tool. This study facilitates a determination methodology to estimate the stress distributions on the rake and flank surfaces of the tool and resultant friction coefficients between the tool and the chip on tool rake face, and the tool and the workpiece on tool flank face. The methodology is applied to various tool edge radii and also utilized in solving stagnation point location on the tool edge. Predicted friction results are further validated with comparison of predicted stress distributions from FE simulations for machining of titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V and the nickel-based alloy IN-100. It was found that tool stresses and friction are mainly influenced by tool rake angle, edge radius, and tool flank wear and are slightly affected by the cutting conditions in the ranges that were considered in this study.     

The effect of tool nose radius in ultrasonic vibration cutting of hard metal

A tool edge with a small nose radius can alleviate the regenerative chatter. In general, it is important for conventional cutting to use the smallest possible tool nose radius. However, a sharp tool shape has an adverse effect on tool strength and the instability of machining process still occurs. Previous researches have shown that vibration cutting has a higher cutting stability as compared with conventional cutting. In the present paper, the influence of tool nose radius on cutting characteristics including chatter vibration, cutting force and surface roughness is investigated by theory. It is found from the theoretical investigation that a steady vibration created by motion between the tool and the workpiece is still obtained even using a large nose radius in vibration cutting. This article presents a vibration cutting method using a large nose radius in order to solve chatter vibration and tool strength problem in hard-cutting. With a suitable nose radius size, experimental results show that a stable and a precise surface finish is achieved.     

Modelling the effects of tool-edge radius on residual stresses when orthogonal cutting AISI 316L

Tool-edge geometry has significant effects on the cutting process, as it affects cutting forces, stresses, temperatures, deformation zone, and surface integrity. An Arbitrary-Lagrangian–Eulerian (A.L.E.) finite element model is presented here to simulate the effects of cutting-edge radius on residual stresses (R.S.) when orthogonal dry cutting austenitic stainless steel AISI 316L with continuous chip formation. Four radii were simulated starting with a sharp edge, with a finite radius, and up to a value equal to the uncut chip thickness. Residual stress profiles started with surface tensile stresses then turned to be compressive at about 140 μm from the surface; the same trend was found experimentally. Larger edge radius induced higher R.S. in both the tensile and compressive regions, while it had almost no effect on the thickness of tensile layer and pushed the maximum compressive stresses deeper into the workpiece. A stagnation zone was clearly observed when using non-sharp tools and its size increased with edge radius. The distance between the stagnation-zone tip and the machined surface increased with edge radius, which explained the increase in material plastic deformation, and compressive R.S. when using larger edge radius. Workpiece temperatures increased with edge radius; this is attributed to the increase in friction heat generation as the contact area between the tool edge and workpiece increases. Consequently, higher tensile R.S. were induced in the near-surface layer. The low thermal conductivity of AISI 316L restricted the effect of friction heat to the near-surface layer; therefore, the thickness of tensile layer was not affected.     

Modelling and analysis of micro scale milling considering size effect, micro cutter edge radius and minimum chip thickness

This paper presents mechanisms studies of micro scale milling operation focusing on its characteristics, size effect, micro cutter edge radius and minimum chip thickness. Firstly, a modified Johnson–Cook constitutive equation is formulated to model the material strengthening behaviours at micron level using strain gradient plasticity. A finite element model for micro scale orthogonal machining process is developed considering the material strengthening behaviours, micro cutter edge radius and fracture behaviour of the work material. Then, an analytical micro scale milling force model is developed based on the FE simulations using the cutting principles and the slip-line theory. Extensive experiments of OFHC copper micro scale milling using 0.1 mm diameter micro tool were performed with miniaturized machine tool, and good agreements were achieved between the predicted and the experimental results. Finally, chip formation and size effect of micro scale milling are investigated using the proposed model, and the effects of material strengthening behaviours and minimum chip thickness are discussed as well. Some research findings can be drawn: (1) from the chip formation studies, minimum chip thickness is proposed to be 0.25 times of cutter edge radius for OFHC copper when rake angle is 10° and the cutting edge radius is 2 μm; (2) material strengthening behaviours are found to be the main cause of the size effect of micro scale machining, and the proposed constitutive equation can be used to explain it accurately. (3) That the specific shear energy increases greatly when the uncut chip thickness is smaller than minimum chip thickness is due to the ploughing phenomenon and the accumulation of the actual chip thickness.     

Thermomechanical modelling of oblique cutting and experimental validation

An analytical approach is used to model oblique cutting process. The material characteristics such as strain rate sensitivity, strain hardening and thermal softening are considered. The chip formation is supposed to occur mainly by shearing within a thin band called primary shear zone. The analysis is limited to stationary flow and the material flow within the primary shear zone is modelled by using a one-dimensional approach. Thermomechanical coupling and inertia effects are accounted for. The chip flow angle is determined by the assumption that the friction force on the tool face is collinear to the chip flow direction. At the chip–tool interface, the friction condition can be affected by the important heating induced by the large values of pressure and sliding velocity. In spite of the complexity of phenomena governing the friction law in machining, a reasonable assumption is to consider that the mean friction coefficient is primarily function of the average temperature at the tool–chip interface. Comparisons between model predictions and experimental results are performed for different values of cutting speed, undeformed chip thickness, normal cutting angle and inclination angle. A critical study is presented in order to show the influences of the input parameters of the model including the normal shear angle, the thickness of the primary shear zone and the pressure distribution at the tool–chip interface. The model permits to predict the cutting forces, the chip flow direction, the contact length between the chip and the tool and the temperature distribution at the tool–chip interface which has an important effect on tool wear.     

In-situ measurement of rake face temperatures in orthogonal cutting

In machining, the thermal load significantly influences the tool wear and the workpiece quality, thus limiting the productivity. Therefore, a new experimental setup for the high-speed measurement of the rake face temperature in orthogonal cutting without substantially affecting the chip formation was developed. The investigations focus on the influence of different rake face preparation methods and cutting parameters on the temperature of the rake face, measured in the immediate vicinity of the cutting edge. The presented results significantly improve the understanding of the process and provide new insights for the tool development and the validation of cutting models.     

On the closed form mechanistic modeling of milling: Specific cutting energy,torque, and power

Specific energy in metal cutting, defined as the energy expended in removing a unit volume of workpiece material, is formulated and determined using a previously developed closed form mechanistic force model for milling operations. Cutting power is computed from the cutting torque, cutting force, kinematics of the cutter, and the volumetric material removal rate. Closed form expressions for specific cutting energy were formulated and found to be functions of the process parameters: pressure and friction for both rake and flank surfaces and chip flow angle at the rake face of the tool. Friction is found to play a very important role in cutting torque and power. Experiments were carried out to determine the effects of feedrate, cutting speed, workpiece material, and flank wear land width on specific cutting energy. It was found that the specific cutting energy increases with a decrease in the chip thickness and with an increase in flank wear land.     

Role of phase transformation in chip segmentation during high speed machining of dual phase titanium alloys

Chip segmentation during machining of titanium alloys is primarily due to adiabatic shear localization associated with thermally driven α–β phase transformation at extremely high speeds. Current constitutive material models used in simulating the machining process ignore the role of phase transformation in shear localization and its influence on the material associated dynamic response. This research presents a new phase approach to chip segmentation that includes a recently developed constitutive material model based on the self-consistent method (SCM) that accounts for material composition, as well as α–β phase transformation, during machining. This SCM-based model is implemented in the finite element framework to validate and predict the effects of starting material property, cutting speeds, uncut chip thicknesses, rake angles, tool radius, and friction coefficients on the strains, temperatures and β volume fractions in chip segmentation. It confirms that cutting speed and uncut chip thickness have great impact, rake angle has less effect, tool radius and friction coefficient have the least effects on chip segmentation. However, tool geometry as well as machining parameters have great influence on the machined surface in terms of temperature magnitude, affected depth and the associated α–β phase transformation.