Study on the Formation Mechanism of Cutting Dead Metal Zone for Turning AISI4340 with Different Chamfering Tools

Micromachines (Basel). 2022 Jul 21;13(7):1156. doi: 10.3390/mi13071156.

Abstract

Tools with chamfered edges are often used in high speed machining of hard materials because they provide compelling cutting toughness and reduced tool wear. Chamfered tools are also responsible for the dead metal zone (DMZ). Through numerical simulation of orthogonal cutting with AISI 4340 steel, this paper examines the mechanism of the DMZ, the cutting speed, the impacts of the chamfer angle, and the coefficient of friction on the generation of the DMZ. The analysis is based upon the Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) finite element method (FEM) for the continuous process of chip formation. The different chamfered angles, cutting speeds, and friction coefficient conditions are utilized in the simulation. The research demonstrates that a zone of trapped material called DMZ has been formed beneath the chamfer and serves as an effective cutting edge of the tool. Additionally, the dead metal zone DMZ becomes smaller while the cutting speed increases or the friction coefficient decreases. The machining forces rise with increasing chamfer angles, rise with increasing friction coefficients, and fall with increasing cutting speed in both the cutting and thrust directions. In this paper, the effect of different chamfering tools on AISI 4340 steel using carbide tools in the simulation environment is studied. It has certain reference significance for studying the formation mechanism of the dead zone of difficult-to-machine materials such as AISI4340 and improving the processing efficiency and workpiece surface quality.

Keywords: AISI4340; chamfered tool; dead metal zone (DMZ); finite element method (FEM); wear.

Grants and funding

This study was supported by a research project financed by National Natural Science Foundation of China (number 5217052158).