Surface creation and cutting characteristics during sugar maple wood scratching with spherical cone grit

Abstract

A series of single-grit cutting tests were performed with spherical cone tools on sugar maple (Acer saccharum) wood to investigate its surface creation and cutting behavior. The tools with apex angles 2 $$\alpha$$ = 84 $$^\circ$$ and 2 $$\alpha$$ = 108 $$^\circ$$ were selected to clarify the effect of negative rake angles. It was found that there was no discernable pile-up on both sides of the scratches. Grit with 2 $$\alpha$$ = 108 $$^\circ$$ made less fractured fibers protrude from the top surface. The affluent porosity of wood was emphasized, and an analytical model of elastic deformation for single-grit cutting has been established. There seems to be a transitional depth of grit penetration, after which the elastic recovery keeps a constant value. The average cutting force ratio of grit with 2 $$\alpha$$ = 84 $$^\circ$$ was visibly higher, referring to better cutting performance. The size effect of grit with 2 $$\alpha$$ = 84 $$^\circ$$ was more pronounced in the two cutting directions. Compared with research on metal materials, the evident energy absorption capacity of sugar maple accounts for the relatively high overall specific energy.