Nonlinear Numerical Analysis in Transient Cutting Tool Temperatures

In any cutting processes, the temperature distribution in the cutting tool is intrinsically three-dimensional and very steep temperature gradient can be generated in the vicinity of the tool-chip interface. In this region, where the maximum temperature occurs, the effect of temperature dependent thermal properties may become important. The full three-dimensional nonlinear transient heat conduction equation is solved numerically using a control volume approach to study these nonlinear effects on cutting tool temperatures. The extremely small size of the heat input zone (tool-chip interface), relative to the tool insert rake surface area, requires the mesh to be dense enough in order to obtain accurate solutions. This usually requires very intensive computational efforts. Due to the size of the discretized domain, an optimized algorithm is used in the solution of the problem to significantly reduce the required computing time. This numerical model can be used for process development in an industrial setting. The effect of two different heat flux input profiles, a spatially uniform plane heat flux and a spatially nonuniform parabolic heat flux at the tool-chip interface, on the tool temperatures are also investigated in the present study. Some recommendations are given regarding the condition when these nonlinear effects cannot be ignored.