Estimation of tool wear in orthogonal cutting using the finite element analysis

In metal cutting, tool wear on the tool–chip and tool–workpiece interfaces (i.e. flank wear and crater wear) is strongly influenced by the cutting temperature, contact stresses, and relative sliding velocity at the interface. These process variables depend on tool and workpiece materials, tool geometry and coatings, cutting conditions, and use of coolant for the given application. Based on temperatures and stresses on the tool face predicted by the finite element analysis (FEA) simulation, tool wear may be estimated with acceptable accuracy using an empirical wear model. The overall objective of this study is to develop a methodology to predict the tool wear evolution and tool life in orthogonal cutting using FEM simulations. To approach this goal, the methodology proposed has three different parts. In the first part, a tool wear model for the specified tool–workpiece pair is developed via a calibration set of tool wear cutting tests in conjunction with cutting simulations. In the second part, modifications are made to the commercial FEM code used to allow tool wear calculation and tool geometry updating. The last part includes the experimental validation of the developed methodology. The focus of this paper is on the modifications made to the commercial FEM code in order to make reasonable tool wear estimates.