A Model-Based Prediction Approach to Understanding Tool Wear

Abstract

Abstract Since the development of Taylor’s wear equation in the early 1900s, empirical approaches to tool wear have been extensively used by industries. However, as many types of work materials and cutting tools have emerged, developing the empirical equation for each combination of work material and cutting tool is too costly and time-consuming. In this paper, we present a promising new model-based approach, where the developed model can be directly extended to other work materials and cutting tools. However, when machining pearlitic steels at high cutting speed, phase transformation restricts the model’s applicability. With phase transformation, the associated flank wear does not follow the model’s predictions. Evidently, the abrasive action of cementite is suppressed as the cementite phase in pearlitic microstructure transforms into austenite. This paper summarizes and reevaluates our previous experimental results in order to develop a model-based approach to understanding and predicting tool wear.