Numerical and experimental analysis of thermal and mechanical tool load when turning AISI 52100 with ground cutting edge microgeometries

Abstract

Tools made of polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PcBN) are usually prepared with a rake face chamfer to increase the performance in hard turning. This chamfer is produced by a tool grinding process. The preparation of the cutting edge itself considering the process and material properties offers further potential for increasing tool performance. In this paper, the rounding of the cutting edge is produced by the already established and highly productive tool grinding process instead of using conventionally processes such as brushing or drag finishing. Therefore, the rounding is approximated by multiple ground chamfers. The influence of the cutting edge microgeometry on the thermomechanical load is investigated by finite element method. By enlarging the microgeometry, the mechanical stress on the tool is significantly reduced. However, an increase in the size of the cutting edge rounding is also linked to an increase in the thermal tool load.