Transient cutting tool temperatures: A parametric study

Cutting temperatures have long been recognized as a major factor that influences tool wear. As the temperature increases, tools become softer and wear more rapidly due to abrasion. Because of the impact on tool life, the problem of determining the temperature distributions that occur during cutting has been the subject of many investigations. Most of these studies have been restricted to steady state temperatures in relatively simple processes, such as orthogonal cutting or cylindrical turning, wherein the cutting speed, depth of cut and feed rate are constant. However, in actual machining process these parameters are time dependent and a steady state field is rarely established. Furthermore, in most of the cutting temperature studies, a two dimensional assumption is imposed, which is not realistic in actual industrial operations. The goal of this paper is to perform a parametric study of different parameters involved in transient cutting tool temperatures, such as tool-chip interface size, tool geometry, and temperature dependent thermal properties. A numerical model for solving the nonlinear transient three-dimensional heat conduction equation by using a finite volume approach is used in this study to investigate the effects of various parameters on temperature distribution under transient condition.