Experimental investigation of cutting tool temperature during slot milling of AerMet 100 steel

Abstract

Cutting tool temperature plays a key role in machining processes due to its effect on tool life and material removal rate, especially during high-speed machining of hard-to-cut materials. Several methods have been introduced to measure temperature of static objects in machining, such as workpiece in milling operation or cutting tool in turning operation. However, a few methods have been proposed to measure cutting tool temperature in milling process. In this article, we investigate cutting tool temperature in slot milling process. A wireless temperature measurement system with embedded thermocouple is developed to monitor and record cutting tool temperature. A series of experiments for slot milling of AerMet 100 steels are designed to measure cutting tool temperature with the wireless temperature measurement system. The cutting experiments are carried out under cutting speeds from 500 to 1750 m/min. The measurement results reveal that milling tool temperatures increase first and then decrease as cutting speed increases, and the peak temperature of milling tool appears at a critical cutting speed of about 1250 m/min. The effects of cutting speed on cutting tool temperature and tool wear are discussed.