FE/SPH modelling of orthogonal micro-machining of f.c.c. single crystal

With an increased use of mechanical micro-machining in manufacture of small-sized components with complex geometries, the need to understand mechanics of machining at micro-scale is recognized. Numerical modelling is a powerful tool which can be used to gain insight into the underlying mechanisms that drive a plastic response of materials in high-deformation processes. Excessive element distortion in a finite-element simulation is a fundamental problem in numerical modelling of machining processes. In this study, we present a hybrid modelling approach for micro-machining of crystalline metals with the use of smoothed particle hydrodynamics and continuum finite element analysis to overcome this problem. The model is implemented in a commercial software ABAQUS/Explicit using a user-defined subroutine (VUMAT). The model is used to elucidate the effect of crystallographic anisotropy on a response of face centred cubic (f.c.c.) metals to machining. Based on our study, cutting in the (1 0 0) plane is least sensitive to the cutting direction with (1 0 1) plane being the most sensitive. The maximum cutting force is observed to be on the (1 0 1) plane with the cutting tool oriented in the 0°.