Prediction of residual stress distribution after turning in turbine disks

The state of a surface region after machining is definitely affected by cutting parameters, such as cutting speed, feed rate, tool nose radius, tool rake angle and the presence of a cutting fluid, which plays a major role in determining friction at the tool–chip interface. The aim of the present study is to develop a finite element model based on the general-purpose nonlinear finite element code MSC.Marc by MSC.Software Corporation. This software is capable of simulating the cutting process of low-pressure turbine disks of aircraft jet engines from its very beginning to steady-state conditions. Basically, the present analysis is a coupled thermo-mechanical dynamic-transient problem, based on the update Lagrangian formulation; no pre-defined path is given for the separation of the chip from the workpiece, since material deformation occurs as a continuous indentation performed by the rigid tool. In addition to the cutting parameters, the main inputs in this analysis are material constitutive data, the friction coefficient at the toolchip interface and the cutting tool temperature. All the relevant variables, like stresses, strains, temperatures, chip shape and residual stresses, are predicted in a wide range of cutting conditions. The results from the model are compared to some basic theories of metal cutting and to an experimental study, concerning orthogonal cutting of steel AISI 316L. Concerning the specific case of turning process of nickel alloy Inconel 718 low-pressure turbine disks, the calculated residual stress are compared to experimental measurements from real machined disks.