CUTTING TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT IN HIGH-SPEED END MILLING

A computer aided measurement system is used to measure the cutting temperature directly in high-speed machining by natural thermocouples and standard thermocouples. In this system the tool/workpiece interface temperature is measured by the tool/workpiece natural thermocouple, while the temperature distribution on the workpiece surface and that of interior are measured by some standard thermocouples prearranged at proper positions. The system can be used to measure cutting temperature in the machining with the rotary cutting tools, such as vertical drill and end milling cutter. It is practically used for the research on high-speed milling with hardened steel.

FLOW STRESS MODELING FOR AERONAUTICAL ALUMINUM ALLOY 7050-T7451 IN HIGH-SPEED CUTTING

The high temperature split Hopkinson pressure bar （SHPB） compression experiment is conducted to obtain the data relationship among strain, strain rate and flow stress from room temperature to 550 C for aeronautical aluminum alloy 7050-T7451. Combined high-speed orthogonal cutting experiments with the cutting process simulations, the data relationship of high temperature, high strain rate and large strain in high-speed cutting is modified. The Johnson-Cook empirical model considering the effects of strain hardening, strain rate hardening and thermal softening is selected to describe the data relationship in high-speed cutting, and the material constants of flow stress constitutive model for aluminum alloy 7050-T7451 are determined. Finally, the constitutive model of aluminum alloy 7050-T7451 is established through experiment and simulation verification in high-speed cutting. The model is proved to be reasonable by matching the measured values of the cutting force with the estimated results from FEM simulations.

CUTTING FORCES FOR HIGH-SPEED DRILLING OF COMPOSITES

The thrust and the torque of various carbide drills are studied for the high-speed drilling of fiber reinforced epoxy composites. The orthogonal experiment is carried out with different feed speeds at high rotation speed. Experimental results show that the spindle rotation speed is the most influential factor. The thrust andthe torque decrease under the condition of high rotation rate. With the decrease of the feed speed, the thrust and the torque decrease. But the effect of the feed speed is less than that of the spindle rotation rate. Moreover, the effect of drill materials on the thrust and the torque is more notable than that of the drill geometries and the feed speed. The thrust is greatly affected by the feed speed while the torque is obviously affected by drill geometries.

Tool-path planning for free-form surface high-speed high-resolution machining using torus cutter

In CNC machining, two essential components decide the accuracy and machining time for a sculptured surface: one is the step-size interval, the other is the tool-path interval. Due to the limitation of the conventional method for calculating the tool-path interval, it cannot satisfy the machining requirement for high-speed and high-resolution machining. Accordingly, for high-speed and high-resolution machining, the current study proposes a new tool-path interval algorithm, plus a variable step-size algorithm for NURBS. Furthermore, a new type cutter, which can improve the cutting efficiency, is investigated in the paper. The transversal equation of the torus cutter onto the flat plan is given in this paper. The tool-path interval is calculated with the transversal equation and the proposed algorithm. The illustrated example shows that the redundant tool paths can be reduced because an accurate tool-path interval could be calculated.

Prediction of Dynamic Cutting Force and Regenerative Chatter Stability in Inserted Cutters Milling

Currently, the modeling of cutting process mainly focuses on two aspects: one is the setup of the universal cutting force model that can be adapted to a broader cutting condition; the other is the setup of the exact cutting force model that can accurately reflect a true cutting process. However, there is little research on the prediction of chatter stablity in milling. Based on the generalized mathematical model of inserted cutters introduced by ENGIN, an improved geometrical, mechanical and dynamic model for the vast variety of inserted cutters widely used in engineering applications is presented, in which the average directional cutting force coefficients are obtained by means of a numerical approach, thus leading to an analytical determination of stability lobes diagram (SLD) on the axial depth of cut. A new kind of SLD on the radial depth of cut is also created to satisfy the special requirement of inserted cutter milling. The corresponding algorithms used for predicting cutting forces, vibrations, dimensional surface finish and stability lobes in inserted cutter milling under different cutting conditions are put forward. Thereafter, a dynamic simulation module of inserted cutter milling is implemented by using hybrid program of Matlab with Visual Basic. Verification tests are conducted on a vertical machine center for Aluminum alloy LC4 by using two different types of inserted cutters, and the effectiveness of the model and the algorithm is verified by the good agreement of simulation result with that of cutting tests under different cutting conditions. The proposed model can predict the cutting process accurately under a variety of cutting conditions, and a high efficient and chatter-free milling operation can be achieved by a cutting condition optimization in industry applications.

Influence of confining stress on fracture characteristics and cutting efficiency of TBM cutters conducted on soft and hard rock

Combined with numerical simulation, the influence of confining stress on cutting process, fracture conditions and cutting efficiencies of soft and hard rock has been conducted on the triaxial testing machine(TRW-3000) designed and manufactured in Central South University(China). Results are obtained by performing analysis on the fracture scopes of cement and granite plates,the characteristics of cutting force in cutting processes and the cutting efficiency. Firstly, the increase of latitude fracture scope and the decrease of longitude fracture scope are both more notable in the tests conducted on cement plates subjected to the increasing confining stresses; secondly, the increase tendency of peak penetration forces obtained from tests conducted on granite plates is more obvious, however, the increase tendencies of average penetration forces achieved from cement and granite plates are close to each other; thirdly, the cutting efficiency could be improved by increasing the spacing between cutters when the confining stress which acts on soft and hard rock increases in a certain degree, and the cutting efficiency of soft rock is more sensitive to the varying confining stresses.

Performances of a Stinger PDC cutter breaking granite: Cutting force and mechanical specific energy in single cutter tests

The Stinger PDC cutter has high rock-breaking efficiency and excellent impact and wear resistance, which can significantly increase the rate of penetration (ROP) and extend PDC bit life for drilling hard and abrasive formation. The knowledge of force response and mechanical specific energy (MSE) for the Stinger PDC cutter is of great importance for improving the cutter's performance and optimizing the hybrid PDC bit design. In this paper, 87 single cutter tests were conducted on the granite. A new method for precisely obtaining the rock broken volume was proposed. The influences of cutting depth, cutting angle, and cutting speed on cutting force and MSE were analyzed. Besides, a phenomenological cutting force model of the Stinger PDC cutter was established by regression of experimental data. Moreover, the surface topography and fracture morphology of the cutting groove and large size cuttings were measured by a 3D profilometer and a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Finally, the rock-breaking mechanism of the Stinger PDC cutter was illustrated. The results indicated that the cutting depth has the greatest influence on the cutting force and MSE, while the cutting speed has no obvious effects, especially at low cutting speeds. As the increase of cutting depth, the cutting force increases linearly, and MSE reduces with a quadratic polynomial relationship. When the cutting angle raises from 10° to 30°, the cutting force increases linearly, and the MSE firstly decreases and then increases. The optimal cutting angle for breaking rock is approximately 20°. The Stinger PDC cutter breaks granite mainly by high concentrated point loading and tensile failure, which can observably improve the rock breaking efficiency. The key findings of this work will help to reveal the rock-breaking mechanisms and optimize the cutter arrangement for the Stinger PDC cutter.

Cutting capacity of PDC cutters in very hard rock

An experimental programm of investigating the cutting capacity of PDC flat cutters in very hard rock has been performed. Experiments include both the cutting of PDC fixed at different angles on the granite core or bar and linear cutting with different static thrust on the block of granite. The effects of the rough degree of rock surface, cutting angles, and static thrust on the cutting capacity of PDC in very hard rock were investigated and analyzed. The results show that the single mode of rotary drilling using PDC cutters is not applied for very hard rocks.

Crosswind stability of high-speed trains in special cuts

Analysis of the aerodynamic performance of high-speed trains in special cuts would provide references for the critical overturning velocity and complement the operation safety management under strong winds.This work was conducted to investigate the flow structure around trains under different cut depths,slope angles using computational fluid dynamics(CFD).The high-speed train was considered with bogies and inter-carriage gaps.And the accuracy of the numerical method was validated by combining with the experimental data of wind tunnel tests.Then,the variations of aerodynamic forces and surface pressure distribution of the train were mainly analyzed.The results show that the surroundings of cuts along the railway line have a great effect on the crosswind stability of trains.With the slope angle and depth of the cut increasing,the coefficients of aerodynamic forces tend to reduce.An angle of 75°is chosen as the optimum one for the follow-up research.Under different depth conditions,the reasonable cut depth for high-speed trains to run safely is 3 m lower than that of the conventional cut whose slope ratio is 1:1.5.Furthermore,the windward slope angle is more important than the leeward one for the train aerodynamic performance.Due to the shield of appropriate cuts,the train body is in a minor positive pressure environment.Thus,designing a suitable cut can contribute to improving the operation safety of high-speed trains.

Experimental investigation on the cuttings formation process and its relationship with cutting force in single PDC cutter tests

The single polycrystalline diamond compact(PDC)cutter test is widely used to investigate the mecha-nism of rock-breaking.The generated cuttings and cutting force are important indexes reflecting the rock failure process.However,they were treated as two separate parameters in previous publications.In this study,through a series of rock block cutting tests,the relationship between them was investigated to obtain an in-depth understanding of the formation of cuttings.In addition,to validate the standpoints obtained in the aforementioned experiments,rock sheet cutting tests were conducted and the rock failure process was monitored by a high-speed camera frame by frame.The cutting force was recorded with the same sampling rate as the camera.By this design,every sampled point of cutting force can match a picture captured by the camera,which reflects the interaction between the rock and the cutter.The results indicate that the increase in cutting depth results in a transition of rock failure modes.At shallow cutting depth,ductile failure dominates and all the cuttings are produced by the compression of the cutter.The corresponding cutting force fluctuates slightly.However,beyond the critical depth,brittle failure occurs and chunk-like cuttings appear,which leads to a sharp decrease in cutting force.After that,the generation of new surface results in a significant decrease in actual cutting depth,a parameter proposed to reflect the interaction between the rock and the cutter.Consequently,ductile failure dominates again and a slight fluctuation of cutting force can be detected.As the cutter moves to the rock,the actual cutting depth gradually increases,which results in the subsequent generation of chunk-like cuttings.It is accompanied by an obvious cutting force drop.That is,ductile failure and brittle failure,one following another,present at large cutting depth.The transition of rock failure mode can be correlated with the variation of cutting force.Based on the results of this paper,the real-time monitoring of torque may be helpful to determine the efficiency of PDc bits in the downhole.

Research on Prepreg Tape Cutting Platform with Two Cutters

The concept of cutting platform is proposed and realized based on the latest two step automated tape laying (Two step ATL)technology,which separates prepreg cutting process from tape laying to improve productivity for large parts with small features.Two step ATL is more efficient than conventional layup because ply patches are pre cut in a separate operation.The concept of the prepreg tape cutting experimental platform with two cutters is introduced.Further,based on the automatic tape laying trajectory planning software,a two cutter cutting algorithm is proposed.Cutting experiments are reported to validate both the concept of cutting platform and cutting algorithm.

Research on the cutting performance and the wear mechanism of the cermet cutter in high speed turn-milling

When machining D60 steel by high speed turn-milling under the different cooling and lubricating conditions, the cutting performance and the wear mechanism of the cermet cutter are researched. With water soluble cooling fluid, the wear performance of the cermet cutter is bad, and does not adapt to the requirements of machining. However, when machining D60 by high speed turn-milling is under dry conditions, the wearing performance of the cermet cutter is very good and the cutting time lasts almost 3 hours. The wear mechanism of the cermet cutter under the water soluble cooling fluid is different from the dry condition. With the water soluble cooling fluid, a great deal of little chap units are formed since high frequency alternates heat stress. The crash and desquamate of these chap units is the main cause of the cutter wearing. Under dry cutting conditions, it is the main cause of cermet cutter wear in the felting phase intenerating causing rigid phase grains to fall.

OPTIMIZING THE CUTTER FOR SLANTING KNIFE CUTTING OPERATION AND ITS BLANKING FORCE

The cutting force under a slanting cutter is discussed.It is not only related to the sheet to be cut and the slanting cutter height,but also to the shape of the cutter.It is from this point of view that the question of optimizing the cutter for slanting knife cutting operation is addressed.Then the general differential equations for the optimum cutter are obtained,and analytic solutions for the workpiece,the contour of which consists of straight lines and arcs,are obtained.A method for solving the general equations is also presented.The cutting force and breaking noise will be minimized for a given slanting cutter height and workpiece if the optimum cutter is employed.

Cutting edge curve models for equal pitch cutters and their applications

A mathematic model is established using infinitesimal geometry for the cutting edge design of special milling cutters which use equal lead helix as cutting edges; equations are given for front-end and proclitic surface of revolution of ball pillar milling cutters, ball taper milling cutters and angularly conical milling cutters; and corresponding models are established for the continuity cutting edge curves of milling cutters. Typical examples are given to illustrate the applications of mathematic models, which prove the correctness and applicability of these geometric models.

CUTTING TEMPERATURE OF TEMPERING BEARING STEEL GCr15 CUT BY PCBN CUTTER

A thermoelectric curve of GCr15 BN500 is acquired by rapid label way. The study on measuring the cutting temperature with PCBN cutter is done and the calculation formula is achieved. A series of experiments about cutting temperature are made for different hardness tempering bearing steel at the same time. The rule that cutting temperature increases with increasing of the cutting speed, feed, back engagement of the cutting edge is gained. It is known that the cutting temperature is highest under the condition that back engagement of the cutting edge a p≥2.5 mm and the machined material hardness equals to 50HRC.

Development of micro milling force model and cutting parameter optimization

Taking the minimum chip thickness effect,cutter deflection,and spindle run-out into account,a micro milling force model and a method to determine the optimal micro milling parameters were developed.The micro milling force model was derived as a function of the cutting coefficients and the instantaneous projected cutting area that was determined based on the machining parameters and the rotation trajectory of the cutter edges.When an allowable micro cutter deflection is defined,the maximum allowable cutting force can be determined.The optimal machining parameters can then be computed based on the cutting force model for better machining efficiency and accuracy.To verify the proposed cutting force model and the method to determine the optimal cutting parameters,micro-milling experiments were conducted,and the results show the feasibility and effectiveness of the model and method.

A Closer Look at the Design of Cutterheads for Hard Rock Tunnel-Boring Machines

The success of a tunnel-boring machine （TBM） in a given project depends on the functionality of all components of the system, from the cutters to the backup system, and on the entire rolling stock. However, no part of the machine plays a more crucial role in the efficient operation of the machine than its cutterhead. The design of the cutterhead impacts the efficiency of cutting, the balance of the head, the life of the cutters, the maintenance of the main bearing/gearbox, and the effectiveness of the mucking along with its effects on the wear of the face and gage cutters/muck buckets. Overall, cutterhead design heavily impacts the rate of penetration （ROP）, rate of machine utilization （U）, and daffy advance rate （AR）. Although there has been some discussion in commonly available publications regarding disk cutters, cutting forces, and some design features of the head, there is limited literature on this subject because the design of cutter- heads is mainly handled by machine manufacturers. Most of the design process involves proprietary algorithms by the manufacturers, and despite recent attention on the subject, the design of rock TBMs has been somewhat of a mystery to most end-users. This paper is an attempt to demystify the basic concepts in design. Although it may not be sufficient for a full-fledged design by the readers, this paper allows engineers and contractors to understand the thought process in the design steps, what to Look for in a proper design, and the implications of the head design on machine operation and life cycle.

Side force formation mechanism and change law of TBM center cutter

The center cutter of a hard rock tunnel boring machine(TBM) is installed on the cutterhead at a small radius and thus bears complex side force.Given this fact,the formation mechanism and change law of the side force suffered by the center cutter were studied.Based on the rock shear failure criterion in combination with the lateral rolling width,a model for predicting the average side force was set up.Besides,a numerical analysis model of the rock fragmentation of the center cutter was established,and the instantaneous load changing features were investigated.Results shows that the inner side of the center cutter can form lateral rolling annulus in rock during the rotary cutting process.The smaller the installation radius is,the greater the cutter side force will be.In a working condition,the side force of the innermost center cutter is 11.66 k N,while it decreases sharply when installation radius increases.Variation tends to be gentle when installation radius is larger than 500 mm,and the side force of the outermost center cutter is reduced to 0.74 k N.

New Mathematical Method for the Determination of Cutter Runout Parameters in Flat-end Milling

The cutting force prediction is essential to optimize the process parameters of machining such as feed rate optimization, etc. Due to the significant influences of the runout effect on cutting force variation in milling process, it is necessary to incorporate the cutter runout parameters into the prediction model of cutting forces. However, the determination of cutter runout parameters is still a challenge task until now. In this paper, cutting process geometry models, such as uncut chip thickness and pitch angle, are established based on the true trajectory of the cutting edge considering the cutter runout effect. A new algorithm is then presented to compute the cutter runout parameters for flat-end mill utilizing the sampled data of cutting forces and derived process geometry parameters. Further, three-axis and five-axis milling experiments were conducted on a machining centre, and resulting cutting forces were sampled by a three-component dynamometer. After computing the corresponding cutter runout parameters, cutter forces are simulated embracing the cutter runout parameters obtained from the proposed algorithm. The predicted cutting forces show good agreements with the sampled data both in magnitude and shape, which validates the feasibility and effectivity of the proposed new algorithm of determining cutter runout parameters and the new way to accurately predict cutting forces. The proposed method for computing the cutter runout parameters provides the significant references for the cutting force prediction in the cutting process.

Effects of discontinuities on penetration of TBM cutters

Based on the triaxial testing machine and discrete element method, the effects of embedded crack on rock fragmentation are investigated in laboratory tests and a series of numerical investigations are conducted on the effects of discontinuities on cutting characteristics and cutting efficiency. In laboratory tests, five propagation patterns of radial cracks are observed. And in the numerical tests, firstly, it is similar to laboratory tests that cracks ahead of cutters mainly initiate from the crushed zone, and some minor cracks will initiate from joints. The cracks initiating from crushed zones will run through the thinner joints while they will be held back by thick joints. Cracks tend to propagate towards the tips of embedded cracks, and minor cracks will initiate from the tips of embedded cracks, which may result in the decrease of specific area, and disturbing layers play as ‘screens', which will prevent cracks from developing greatly. The peak penetration forces, the consumed energy in the penetration process and the uniaxial compression strength will decrease with the increase of discontinuities. The existence of discontinuities will result in the decrease of the cutting efficiency when the spacing between cutters is 70 mm. Some modifications should be made to improve the efficiency when the rocks containing groups of discontinuities are encountered.