Wear Mechanism of Multilayer Coated Carbide Cutting Tool in the Milling Process of AISI 4340 under Cryogenic Environment

Cryogenic technique is the use of a cryogenic medium as a coolant in machining operations. Commonly used cryogens are liquid nitrogen (LN2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) because of their low cost and non-harmful environmental impact. In this study, the effects of machining conditions and parameters on the wear mechanism were analysed in the milling process of AISI 4340 steel (32 HRC) under cryogenic conditions using a multilayer coated carbide cutting tool (TiAlN/AlCrN). A field emission scanning electron microscope with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis was used to examine the wear mechanisms comprehensively. At low machining parameters, abrasion and adhesion were the major wear mechanisms which occurred on the rake face. Machining at high machining parameters caused the removal of the coating material on the rake face due to the high temperature and cutting force generated during the cutting process. In addition, it was found that continuously adhered material on the rake face would lead to crater wear. Furthermore, the phenomenon of oxidation was also observed when machining at high cutting speed, which resulted in diffusion wear and increase in the crater wear. Based on the relationship between the cutting force and cutting temperature, it can be concluded that these machining outputs are significant in affecting the progression of tool wear rate, and tool wear mechanism in the machining of AISI 4340 alloy steel.

Enhancing Wear Resistance and Cutting Performance of a Long-Life Micro-Groove Tool in Turning AISI 201

Tool-chip friction increases cutting temperature, aggravates tool wear, and shortens the service life of cutting tools. A micro-groove design of the rake face can improve the wear performance of the tool. In this study, we used the finite element simulation “Deform” to obtain the temperature field distribution of the tool rake face. The size of the micro-groove was determined by selecting a suitable temperature field combined with the characteristics of tool–chip flow in the cutting process, and the tool was prepared using powder metallurgy. The three-direction cutting forces and tool tip temperature were obtained by a cutting test. Compared with the original turning tool, the cutting force and cutting temperature of the micro-groove tool were reduced by more than 20%, the friction coefficient was reduced by more than 14%, the sliding energy was reduced and the shear energy was greatly decreased. According to the analysis of tool wear by SEM (scanning electron microscope) and EDS (energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy), the crater wear, adhesive wear and oxidation wear of the micro-groove tool were lower than those of the original turning tool. In particular, the change in the crater wear area on the rake face of the original tool and the micro-groove tool was consistent with the cutting temperature and the wear width of the flank face. On the whole, the crater wear area and the change rate of the crater wear area of the micro-groove tool were smaller. Due to the proper microgroove structure of the rake face, the tool-chip contact area decreased, and the second rake angle of the tool became larger. Hence, the tool-chip friction, cutting forces, cutting energy consumption were reduced, tool wear was improved, and the service life of the micro-groove tool was five times longer than that of the original tool.

Peculiarities of the Grinding Process of a Gear Hob Helical Rake Face

This paper presents a study regarding the gear hob’s rake face grinding possibilities and its consequences. A simple theoretical lined surface is considered. The mathematical model of the reciprocate meshing of surfaces was applied. It was proven that the proposed form of the rake face cannot be obtained because an undercut of inacceptable extent occurs. It is also proven and sustained by CAD modeling that using a simplified, flat grinding disk, the undercut is avoided, but the phenomenon of transection appears.

A Numerical-Experimental Study on Orthogonal Cutting of AISI 1045 Steel and Ti6Al4V Alloy: SPH and FEM Modeling with Newly Identified Friction Coefficients

Numerical simulation of metal cutting with rigorous experimental validation is a profitable approach that facilitates process optimization and better productivity. In this work, we apply the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) and Finite Element Method (FEM) to simulate the chip formation process within a thermo-mechanically coupled framework. A series of cutting experiments on two widely-used workpiece materials, i.e., AISI 1045 steel and Ti6Al4V titanium alloy, is conducted for validation purposes. Furthermore, we present a novel technique to measure the rake face temperature without manipulating the chip flow within the experimental framework, which offers a new quality of the experimental validation of thermal loads in orthogonal metal cutting. All material parameters and friction coefficients are identified in-situ, proposing new values for temperature-dependent and velocity-dependent friction coefficients of AISI 1045 and Ti6Al4V under the cutting conditions. Simulation results show that the choice of friction coefficient has a higher impact on SPH forces than FEM. Average errors of force prediction for SPH and FEM were in the range of 33% and 23%, respectively. Except for the rake face temperature of Ti6Al4V, both SPH and FEM provide accurate predictions of thermal loads with 5–20% error.

Influence of metal working fluid on chip formation and mechanical loads in orthogonal cutting

Metal working fluids are used in machining processes of many hard-to-cut materials to increase tool life and productivity. Thereby, the metal working fluids act on the thermal and on the mechanical loads of the tool. The changing mechanical loads can mostly be attributed to the changing friction between rake face and chip and changes in the chip formation, e.g., the contact length between rake face and chip. However, analyzing those effects is challenging, since a detailed look at the chip formation process is prevented by the metal working fluid. In this paper, a novel planing test rig is presented, which enables high-speed recordings of the machining process and process force measurements while using metal working fluids. Experiments reveal that process forces are reduced with increasing pressure of the metal working fluid. However, the average friction coefficient only changes slightly, which indicates that the reduced process forces are mainly the result of reduced contact lengths between rake face and chip.

Approach for multiscale modeling the thermomechanical tool load in gear hobbing

In this report, an approach is presented how a geometric penetration calculation can be combined with FE simulations to a multiscale model, which allows an efficient determination of the thermomechanical load in gear hobbing. FE simulations of the linear-orthogonal cut are used to derive approximate equations for calculating the cutting force and the rake face temperature. The hobbing process is then simulated with a geometric penetration calculation and uncut chip geometries are determined for each generating position. The uncut chip geometries serve as input variables for the derived equations, which are solved at each point of the cutting edge for each generating position. The cutting force is scaled according to the established procedure of discrete addition of the forces along the cutting edge over all individual cross-section elements. For the calculation of the temperature, an approach is presented how to consider a variable chip thickness profile. Based on this, the temperature distribution on the rake face is calculated. The model is verified on the one hand by cutting force measurements in machining trials and on the other hand by an FE simulation of a full engagement of a hob tooth.

Investigation of the Influence of Tool Rake Angles on Machining of Inconel 718

It is essential for superalloys (e.g., Inconel 718) to obtain an anticipated surface integrity after machining, especially for safety critical areas (e.g., aerospace). As one of the main characteristics for cutting tools, the rake angle has been recognized as a key factor that can significantly influence the machining process. Although there are large research interests and outcomes in the machining of nickel-based superalloys, most of them focus on the surface integrity and macroscale temperature observation, whereas the temperature distribution in the tool rake face is not clear. Thus, it is necessary to investigate the basic role of rake angles and the tool–workpiece interaction mechanism to determine the machining condition variations and surface integrity. In the present study, both experimental and numerical methods are employed to explore the cutting force, thermal distribution, and shear angles during the process and the metallurgy characteristics of the subsurface after machining, as well as the mechanical properties. The research has emphasized the importance of rake angles on both the cutting process and machined surface integrity, and has revealed the microscale temperature distribution in the tool rake face, which is believed to have a close relationship with the tool crater wear. In addition, it is clearly presented that the surface generated with positive rake angle tools generates the minimum subsurface deformation and less strain hardening on the workpiece.

Wear Characteristics of Cutting Tool in Brittle Removal of a Ductile Meta in High-Speed Machining

The contact stress and heating effect between the cutting tool and workpiece in metal machining is symmetrical. However, the symmetry may be destroyed by changes in the workpiece material mechanical properties, such as ductility. The goal of this study is to reveal the wear characteristics of the cutting tool in machining a ductile metal with the cutting speed at which the metal is embrittled by the high-strain-rate-embrittle effect (HSREE). Orthogonal high-speed turning experiments were carried out. Pure iron type DT8 was cut at different cutting speeds, ranging from 1000 m/min to 9000 m/min. The shape and morphology of the chips obtained in the experiment were observed and analyzed by optical microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Tool wear characteristics at different cutting speeds were observed. It shows that the pure iron becomes completely brittle when the cutting speed is higher than 8000 m/min. On the rake face, the coating of the cutting tool bursts apart and peels off. A matrix crack originates in the cutting edge or rake face and extends to the flank face of the cutting tool. The effects of HSREE on the tool wear is discussed. The findings of this study are helpful for choosing a suitable tool for brittle cutting of the ductile metal pure iron with very high cutting speed and solving the problems in machining due to its high ductility and high stickiness.