Effect of tool geometry on ultraprecision machining of soft-brittle materials:a comprehensive review

Brittle materials are widely used for producing important components in the industry of optics,optoelectronics,and semiconductors.Ultraprecision machining of brittle materials with high surface quality and surface integrity helps improve the functional performance and lifespan of the components.According to their hardness,brittle materials can be roughly divided into hard-brittle and soft-brittle.Although there have been some literature reviews for ultraprecision machining of hard-brittle materials,up to date,very few review papers are available that focus on the processing of soft-brittle materials.Due to the‘soft’and‘brittle’properties,this group of materials has unique machining characteristics.This paper presents a comprehensive overview of recent advances in ultraprecision machining of soft-brittle materials.Critical aspects of machining mechanisms,such as chip formation,surface topography,and subsurface damage for different machining methods,including diamond turning,micro end milling,ultraprecision grinding,and micro/nano burnishing,are compared in terms of tool-workpiece interaction.The effects of tool geometries on the machining characteristics of soft-brittle materials are systematically analyzed,and dominating factors are sorted out.Problems and challenges in the engineering applications are identified,and solutions/guidelines for future R&D are provided.

Comparative Study on Shearing Edge Quality Influence of the Change of Tool Geometry in Fine-Blanking for Non-homogeneous Materials

Excellent quality of shearing edge implies that a s mo oth cutting edge without tearing will be observed on the whole edge surface. Thi s is one of the most significant features of the Fine-blanking process. To achi eve such a superb blanking edge quality in fine-blanking, there actually involv es quite a large number of factors, such as blanking speed, processing material, product shape, lubrication and tool geometry, to be considered simultaneously d uring the operation. Nevertheless, the thorough investigations on different effe cts of those critical factors for different kinds of popular and applicable mate rial are rare and limited. Thus, the objective of this paper is mainly focused o n the study of the quality influence of tool geometry change in fine-blanking f or non-homogeneous materials. However, the most obvious change of the tool geo metry during the operation will be the essential variation of the nose radius of the punch. This is because the nose radius usually seriously deteriorates with the increasing service period in mass production which eventually causes the ent irely lose of the specific features of the fine-blanking process. Therefore, a tailor-made experimental study was carried out to investigate the relationship between the punch nose radius and the shearing edge quality, such as blanked edg e finish, burr height and die-roll height, during fine-blanking for different types of material. Five punches with each specified nose radius (Rp), 0.00 mm, 0.25 mm, 0.50 mm, 0.75 mm and 1.00 mm, and four kinds of blanking material ( Mil d steel SS400, Stainless steel AISI316L, Copper alloy UNSC16200 and Aluminium al loy AA6063 ) were employed throughout the study. Subsequently, features of the s heared edge surfaces and data of each experiment were observed and captured for further analysis in this research. Consequently, findings show that an increase of punch nose radius would produce a higher percentage of fracture of blanked ed ge and increase the amount of burr height. In overall comparison, it is found th at mild steel and copper alloy do provide better surface edge finish with higher percentage of sheared area and less burr height than that of stainless steel an d aluminium alloy.

The interaction between grain boundary and tool geometry in nanocutting of a bi-crystal copper

Anisotropy is one central influencing factor on achievable ultimate machined surface integrity of metallic materials.Specifically,grain boundary has a strong impact on the deformation behaviour of polycrystalline materials and correlated material removal at the microscale.In the present work,we perform molecular dynamics simulations and experiments to elucidate the underlying grain boundaryassociated mechanisms and their correlations with machining results of a bi-crystal Cu under nanocutting using a Berkovich tool.Specifically,crystallographic orientations of simulated bi-crystal Cu with a misorientation angle of 44.1°are derived from electron backscatter diffraction characterization of utilized polycrystalline copper specimen.Simulation results reveal that blocking of dislocation motion at grain boundaries,absorption of dislocations by grain boundaries and dislocation nucleation from grain boundaries are operating deformation modes in nanocutting of the bi-crystal Cu.Furthermore,heterogeneous grain boundary-associated mechanisms in neighbouring grains lead to strong anisotropic machining behaviour in the vicinity of the grain boundary.Simulated machined surface morphology and machining force evolution in the vicinity of grain boundary qualitatively agree well with experimental results.It is also found that the geometry of Berkovich tool has a strong impact on grain boundary-associated mechanisms and resultant ploughing-induced surface pile-up phenomenon.

Review on friction stir welding of magnesium alloys

Friction Stir Welding(FSW)is considered to be the most significant development in metal joining in last two decades.FSW has many advantages when welding magnesium or lightweight alloys.The Friction stir welding of magnesium alloy has many potential applications in major industries i.e.land transportation,aerospace,railway,shipbuilding and marine,construction,and many other industrial applications.Even magnesium alloys have been used in industrial equipment of nuclear energy as magnesium alloys have low tendency to absorb neutrons,sufficient resistance to carbon dioxide and excellent thermal conductivity.Recently,the research and development in FSW field and associated technologies have been developing rapidly worldwide.In this review article,the basic principle of friction stir welding and several aspects of friction stir welded magnesium alloys have been described.The current state of friction stir welding of magnesium alloys is summarized.In spite of this,much remains to be learned about the process and opportunities for further research are identified.

Point-based tool representations for modeling complex tool shapes and runout for the simulation of process forces and chatter vibrations

Geometric physically-based simulation systemscan be used for analyzing and optimizing complex millingprocesses, for example in the automotive or aerospaceindustry, where the surface quality and process efficiencyare limited due to chatter vibrations. Process simulationsusing tool models based on the constructive solid geometry（CSG） technique allow the analysis of process forces, tooldeflections, and surface location errors resulting from five-axis machining operations. However, modeling complextool shapes and effects like runout is difficult using CSGmodels due to the increasing complexity of the shapedescriptions. Therefore, a point-based method for modelingthe rotating tool considering its deflections is presented inthis paper. With this method, tools with complex shapesand runout can be simulated in an efficient and flexibleway. The new modeling approach is applied to exemplarymilling processes and the simulation results are validatedbased on machining experiments.

Swirling flows in horizontally vibrated beds of dense granular materials

In a series of experiments, a granular material in a rectangular container with two hollow cylinders was studied as it underwent horizontal vibrations. At the peak values of acceleration, novel swirling granular flows were observed in the cylinders while the grains cascaded down the outer surface of the piles that formed outside the cylinders. Computer simulations were performed that supported our interpretation of the behaviour observed in the experiments.