An approach for analyzing and controlling residual stress generation during high-speed circular milling

In the rapid development of the modern high-speed milling industry, particularly in the aerospace field, machined residual stress is an important evaluation indicator of the quality, and whether it can be controlled or not is critical. In this article, experimental data of residual stress in feed direction and vertical feed direction validated with finite element (FE) simulation, which resulted in the finding that residual stress distribution is nonuniform in varied machined circular areas. The maximum residual tensile stress in different directions changes with coordinates. It is well known that uncut chip thickness (UCT) will influence the cutting force and temperature, but the relation between UCT and residual stress is still difficult to understand and explicate. Traditional measurement of residual stresses in the feed and vertical feed direction is difficult to explain. Based on the UCT model which is a function of feed rate and tool diameter, by measuring residual tangential and radial stress, it is observed that residual tangential stress is influenced by the UCT. Moreover, residual radial stress, under high feed rate, is distributed with wave change, and residual radial stress under smaller feed rate is still affected by the UCT. These results indicate that it is possible to optimize the residual stress distribution by controlling UCT (feed rate and tool diameter) with high-speed milling.