Phase width analysis of cutting forces considering bottom edge cutting and cutter runout calibration in flat end milling of titanium alloy

This paper is concerned with the combined cutting effects of both flank and bottom edges based on a systematic study of the cutting force in flat end milling of the titanium alloy. Besides the flank edge, the bottom edge of the cutter is also found to be an important factor influencing the cutting force distributions and can lead to uniform phase widths for non-zero cutting forces even under considerable cutter runout. One such phenomenon of uniform phase width induced by the bottom edge for the cutting force is deeply revealed. To do this, the models for characterizing the cutting force coefficients related to both edges are established based on the measured instantaneous cutting forces, and cutter runout is considered in the computation of process geometry parameters such as cutter/workpiece engagements and instantaneous uncut chip geometry parameters. Novel algorithms for identifying the cutter runout parameters and the bottom uncut chip width are also developed. Results definitely show that the flank cutting force coefficients can be treated as constants and that size effect obviously exists in the bottom cutting force coefficients that can be characterized by a power function of the bottom uncut chip width.The proposed model is validated through a comparative study with the existing model and experiments. From the outcomes of the current work, it is clearly seen that the prediction of cutting forces for titanium alloy can resort to the proposed model instead of traditional ones.     

Mechanistic identification of specific force coefficients for a general end mill

The paper presents expressions for semi-empirical mechanistic identification of specific cutting and edge force coefficients for a general helical end mill from milling tests at an arbitrary radial immersion. The expressions are derived for a mechanistic force model in which the total cutting force is described as a sum of the cutting and edge forces. Outer geometry of the end mill is described by a generalized mathematical model valid for a variety of end mill shapes, such as cylindrical, taper, ball, bull nose, etc. The derivations follow a procedure originally proposed for a cylindrical end mill. The procedure itself is improved by including the helix angle in evaluation of the average edge forces. The resulting expressions for the specific force coefficients are verified by simulations and experiments.     

Mechanistic modeling of five-axis machining with a general end mill considering cutter runout

The accurate and fast prediction of cutting forces in five-axis milling of free-form surfaces remains a challenge due to difficulties in determining the varying cutter-workpiece engagement (CWE) boundaries and the instantaneous uncut chip thickness (IUCT) along the tool path. This paper proposes an approach to predict the cutting forces in five-axis milling process with a general end mill considering the cutter runout effect that is inevitable in the practical machining operations. Based on the analytical model of cutting edge combined with runout parameters, the expression of the rotary surface formed by each cutting edge undergoing general spatial motion is firstly derived. Then by extracting the feasible contact arc along the tool axis, a new arc-surface intersection method is developed to determine the CWE boundaries fast and precisely. Next, the circular tooth trajectory (CTT) model is developed for the calculation of the IUCT with a slight sacrifice of accuracy. In comparison with the true IUCT calculated by the trochoidal tooth trajectory model, the approximation error introduced by the circular assumption is negligible while the computational efficiency improves a lot. Finally, combining with the calibrated cutting coefficients and runout parameters, comprehensive formulation of the cutting force system is set up. Simulations and experimental validations of a five-axis flank milling process show that the novel CTT model possesses obvious advantages in computing efficiency and accuracy over the existing approaches. Rough machining of a turbo impeller is further carried out to test the practicability and effectiveness of the proposed mechanistic model.     

Numerical simulation and prediction of cutting forces in five-axis milling processes with cutter run-out

Radial cutter runout is a common issue in milling processes and has a direct effect on milling stability due to variations of resulting chip load and forces. This paper presents a new method to effectively model and predict the instantaneous cutting forces in 5-axis milling processes with radial cutter runout based on tool motion analysis. First, the undeformed chip thickness model taking runout effect into account is established under continuous change of cutter axis orientation by means of the sweep traces of cutter edges. Second, the engaged cutting edge is determined and cutting coefficients are subsequently calibrated. Finally, the method of identifying runout parameters from the measured cutting forces is proposed, and mechanistic method is then applied to predict the cutting force. Since this method is completely based on the relative motion analysis of tool-part, it can reduce the prediction errors of cutting forces effectively and is suitable for generic rotation cutters. Several validation examples are given under different cutting conditions to prove its effectiveness and accuracy. The results reveal that the developed method can predict the cutter forces with a high accuracy and has the ability to be used in simulations and optimizations of five-axis machining.     

Extracting cutting force coefficients from drilling experiments

Determining cutting force equations and the associated specific cutting pressures require a relatively large number of orthogonal cutting tests. These tests need to cover wide ranges of cutting speeds, feeds, and rake angles. Given the inherent variation of the rake angle and the tangential velocity over the drill's cutting lip, this work introduces a methodology for extracting these cutting force coefficients by performing a few drilling experiments on pre-drilled pilot holes.First, the contributions of the ploughing forces acting on the lip and margin are determined. Subtracting these edge forces from the measured total values, torque and thrust cutting forces and the corresponding cutting pressure distributions along the lip are derived. These distributions are then used to produce equations that estimate cutting force coefficients over a wide range of cutting parameters. The coefficients determined in this work from drilling experiments in Aluminium 6061-T6 compare favorably with others generated from orthogonal cutting experiments reported in the literature.     

An analytical force model with shearing and ploughing mechanisms for end milling

An analytical force model with both shearing and ploughing mechanisms is established for the end milling processes. The elemental forces are defined as the linear combination of shearing and ploughing forces in six cutting constants. The analytical model for the total milling forces in the angular and frequency domain are derived by convolution approach and Fourier transform respectively and are expressed as the superposition of the shearing force component and ploughing force component. This dual-mechanism model is analyzed and discussed in the frequency domain and compared with the lumped shear model. An expression is derived for identifying the cutting constants of the dual-mechanism model from the average milling forces. Explicit inclusion of ploughing force in the model is shown to result in better predictive accuracy and yields a linear force model with constant cutting coefficients. Experiments verify the accuracy and the frequency analysis of the dual-mechanism model and show that cutting constants for the dual-mechanism model are fairly independent of chip thickness.     

Simplified and efficient calibration of a mechanistic cutting force model for ball-end milling

Accurate evaluation of the empirical coefficients of a mechanistic cutting force model is critical to the reliability of the predicted cutting forces. This paper presents a simplified and efficient method to determine the cutting force coefficients of a ball-end milling model. The unique feature of this new method is that only a single half-slot cut is to be performed to calibrate the empirical force coefficients that are valid over a wide range of cutting conditions. The instantaneous cutting forces are used with the established helical cutting edge profile on the ball-end mill. The half-slot calibration cut enables successive determination of the lumped discrete values of the varying cutting mechanics parameters along the cutter axis whereas the size effect parameters are determined from the known variation of undeformed chip thickness with cutter rotation. The effectiveness of the present method in determining the cutting force coefficients has been demonstrated experimentally with a series of verification test cuts.     

Prediction of micro-milling forces with finite element method

This paper presents the prediction of micro-milling forces using cutting force coefficients evaluated from the finite element (FE) simulations. First an FE model of orthogonal micro-cutting with a round cutting edge is developed for Brass 260. The simulated cutting forces are compared against the experimental results obtained from turning tests. The cutting force coefficients are identified from a series of FE simulations at a range of cutting edge radii and chip loads. The identified cutting force coefficients are used to simulate micro-milling forces considering the tool trajectory, run-out and the dynamometer dynamics. The same process is also simulated with a slip-line field based model. FE and slip-line field based simulation results are compared against the experimentally measured turning and micro-milling forces.     

Generalized modeling of chip geometry and cutting forces in multi-point thread turning

A generalized mechanics model of multi-point thread turning operations is presented. The cross section of the chip is determined from the thread profiles of the current and previous teeth as well as the infeed settings of the tool. The chip is discretized along the cutting edge, and the cutting force coefficients are evaluated for each element considering the varying effective oblique cutting angles and chip thickness. The nonlinear Kienzle force model is used to account for the effect of edge radius at low chip thickness values. Total cutting forces are obtained by resolving the elemental forces in the insert coordinate system, and integrating them along the engaged teeth. The experimentally validated generalized mechanics model can be used to predict the chip and cutting load distributions for multi-point inserts with custom thread profiles and infeed plans. The model can be used for both process planning and insert design.     

Mechanics of boring processes—Part I

Mechanics of boring operations are presented in the paper. The distribution of chip thickness along the cutting edge is modeled as a function of tool inclination angle, nose radius, depth of cut and feed rate. The cutting mechanics of the process is modeled using both mechanistic and orthogonal to oblique cutting transformation approaches. The forces are separated into tangential and friction directions. The friction force is further projected into the radial and feed directions. The cutting forces are correlated to chip area using mechanistic cutting force coefficients which are expressed as a function of chip-tool edge contact length, chip area and cutting speed. For tools which have uniform rake face, the cutting coefficients are predicted using shear stress, shear angle and friction coefficient of the material. Both approaches are experimentally verified and the cutting forces in three Cartesian directions are predicted satisfactorily. The mechanics model presented in this paper is used in predicting the cutting forces generated by inserted boring heads with runouts and presented in Part II of the article [1].     

Mechanics of boring processes—Part II—multi-insert boring heads

Mechanics of boring operations are presented in the paper. The distribution of chip thickness along the cutting edge is modeled as a function of tool inclination angle, nose radius, depth of cut and feed rate. The cutting mechanics of the process is modeled using both mechanistic and orthogonal to oblique cutting transformation approaches. The forces are separated into tangential and friction directions. The friction force is further projected into the radial and feed directions. The cutting forces are correlated to chip area using mechanistic cutting force coefficients which are expressed as a function of chip-tool edge contact length, chip area and cutting speed. For tools which have uniform rake face, the cutting coefficients are predicted using shear stress, shear angle and friction coefficient of the material. Both approaches are experimentally verified and the cutting forces in three Cartesian directions are predicted satisfactorily. The mechanics model presented in this paper is used in predicting the cutting forces generated by inserted boring heads with runouts and presented in Part II of the article [1].     

Estimation and experimental validation of cutting forces in ball-end milling of sculptured surfaces

Chip thickness calculation has a key important effect on the prediction accuracy of accompanied cutting forces in milling process. This paper presents a mechanistic method for estimating cutting force in ball-end milling of sculptured surfaces for any cases of toolpaths and varying feedrate by incorporation into a new chip thickness model. Based on the given cutter location path and feedrate scheduling strategy, the trace modeling of the cutting edge used to determine the undeformed chip area is resulted from the relative part-tool motion in milling. Issues, such as the selection of the tooth tip and the computation of the preceding cutting path for the tooth tip, are also discussed in detail to ensure the accuracy of chip thickness calculation. Under different chip thicknesses cutting coefficients are regressed with good agreements to calibrated values. Validation tests are carried out on a sculptured surface with curved toolpaths under practical cutting conditions. Comparisons of simulated and experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Simulation of the main cutting force in Crankshaft turn broaching

The measurement of the cutting forces of a turn-broaching machine is very complex due to the relative movement between workpiece and tool. In this work the cutting forces were simulated through the modeling of the process kinematics and by applying the Kienzle equation. A new experimental approach was proposed to determine the cutting forces using a conventional CNC turning machine tool. Through a series of experiments, the model has been calibrated. A comparison between the numerical and experimental results showed a similar trend. The effect of maximum cutting depth, workpiece diameter, cutting edge inclination angle, and feed rate on the main cutting force has been studied.     

Mechanics of micro-milling with round edge tools

This paper presents analytical prediction of micro-milling forces from constitutive model of the material and friction coefficient. The chip formation process is predicted with a slip-line field model which considers the strain hardening, strain-rate and temperature effects on the flow stress of the material. The cutting force coefficients are identified from series of slip-line field simulations at a range of cutting edge radii and chip loads. The predicted cutting force coefficients are used to simulate micro-milling forces. The proposed chain of predictive micro-milling model is experimentally proven by conducting brass cutting tests with a 200 μm diameter helical end mill.     

A worn tool force model for three-dimensional cutting operations

Previous studies have shown that there is a region on the flank of a worn cutting tool where plastic flow of the workpiece material occurs. This paper presents experimental data which shows that in three-dimensional cutting operations in which the nose of the tool is engaged, the region of plastic flow grows linearly with increases in total wearland width. A piecewise linear model is developed for modeling the growth of the plastic flow region, and the model is shown to be independent of cutting conditions. A worn tool force model for three-dimensional cutting operations that uses this concept is presented. The model requires a minimal number of sharp tool tests and only one worn tool test. An integral part of the worn tool force model is a contact model that is used to obtain the magnitude of the stresses on the flank of the tool. The force model is validated through comparison to data obtained from wear tests conducted over a range of cutting conditions and workpiece materials. It is also shown that for a given tool and workpiece material combination, the incremental increases in the cutting forces due to tool flank wear are solely a function of the amount and nature of the wear and are independent of the cutting condition in which the tool wear was produced.     

Identification of shearing and ploughing cutting constants from average forces in ball-end milling

This paper presents an analytical model for the direct identification of global shearing and ploughing cutting constants from measured average cutting forces in ball-end milling. This model is based on the linear decomposition of elemental local cutting forces into a shearing component and a ploughing component. Then, a convolution integral approach is used to obtain the average cutting forces leading to a concise and explicit expression for the global shearing and ploughing cutting constants in terms of axial depth of cut, cutter radius and average milling forces. The model is verified by comparisons with an existing force model of variable cutting coefficients. Cutting constants are identified through milling experiments and the prediction of cutting forces from identified cutting constants coincides with the experimental measurements. A model for identifying the lumped shearing constants is obtained as a subset of the presented dual mechanism model. Experimental results indicate that a model with dual-mechanism cutting constants predicts the ball-end milling forces with better accuracy than the lumped force model.     

A chatter free calibration method for determining cutter runout and cutting force coefficients in ball-end milling

The accuracy of cutting force coefficients plays an important role in predicting reliable cutting force, stability lobes as well as surface location error in ball-end milling. In order to avoid chatter risk of the traditional calibration test with an entire-ball-immersed cutting depth, a cylindrical surface milling method is proposed to calibrate the cutting force coefficients with the characteristics of low cutting depth and varying lead angle. A dual-cubic-polynomial function is also presented to describe the non-uniform cutting force coefficients of the ball part cutting edge and the nonlinear chip size effect on cutting force. The variation of the maximum chip thickness versus the lead angle is established with the consideration of cutter runout. According to the dependence of chip thickness on lead angle, a runout identification method is introduced by seeking the critical lead angle at which one of the cutter flutes is just thoroughly out of cut. Then, a lumped equivalent method is adopted for the low cutting depth condition so that the dual-cubic-polynomial model can be calibrated for the chip size effect and the cutting force coefficients respectively. The accuracy of the proposed calibration method has been validated experimentally with a series of milling tests. The stability examinations indicate that the proposed method has an evident chatter-free advantage, compared with that of varying cutting depth method.     

The edge force components in oblique cutting

It is shown that in an oblique cutting operation two of the edge force components can be derived on the basis of the hypotheses: (a) that there exists an equivalent orthogonal cutting operation which is such that the depth of the layer of workpiece material which is extruded below the cutting edge in oblique cutting, h, is equal to that which would be extruded below the cutting edge in this equivalent orthogonal cutting operation, and (b) the area of contact between the flank face and the extruded layer in oblique cutting is that which would exist in the equivalent orthogonal cutting operation.By applying these hypotheses, expression for the edge force component acting normal to the generated surface, F_v′, and that acting along the cutting speed direction, F_c′, are derived and are verified using empirical cutting data. It has not proved possible to formulate a model from which the edge force component acting along the cutting edge direction, F₂′, can be deduced. However, on the basis of conjecture, a simple-minded argument is advanced which leads to an expression for F₂′. This expression is verified using empirical force data.     

Modelling the cutting edge radius size effect for force prediction in micro milling

This paper presents a theoretical model for cutting force prediction in micro milling, taking into account the cutting edge radius size effect, the tool run out and the deviation of the chip flow angle from the inclination angle. A parameterization according to the uncut chip thickness to cutting edge radius ratio is used for the parameters involved in the force calculation. The model was verified by means of cutting force measurements in micro milling. The results show good agreement between predicted and measured forces. It is also demonstrated that the use of the Stabler's rule is a reasonable approximation and that micro end mill run out is effectively compensated by the deflections induced by the cutting forces.     

The estimation of cutting forces and specific force coefficients during finishing ball end milling of inclined surfaces

The majority of cutting force models applied for the ball end milling process includes only the influence of cutting parameters (e.g. feedrate, depth of cut, cutting speed) and estimates forces on the basis of coefficients calibrated during slot milling. Furthermore, the radial run out phenomenon is predominantly not considered in these models. However this approach can induce excessive force estimation errors, especially during finishing ball end milling of sculptured surfaces. In addition, most of cutting force models is formulated for the ball end milling process with axial depths of cut exceeding 0.5 mm and thus, they are not oriented directly to the finishing processes. Therefore, this paper proposes an accurate cutting force model applied for the finishing ball end milling, which includes also the influence of surface inclination and cutter's run out. As part of this work the new method of specific force coefficients calibration has been also developed. This approach is based on the calibration during ball end milling with various surface inclinations and the application of instantaneous force signals as an input data. Furthermore, the analysis of specific force coefficients in function of feed per tooth, cutting speed and surface inclination angle was also presented. In order to determine geometrical elements of cut precisely, the radial run out was considered in equations applied for the calculation of sectional area of cut and active length of cutting edge. Research revealed that cutter's run out and surface inclination angle have significant influence on the cutting forces, both in the quantitative and qualitative aspect. The formulated model enables cutting force estimation in the wide range of cutting parameters, assuring relative error's values below 16%. Furthermore, the consideration of cutter's radial run out phenomenon in the developed model enables the reduction of model's relative error by the 7% in relation to the model excluding radial run out.