A mixed solution for the three-dimensional temperature distribution in turning inserts using finite and boundary element techniques

It is an established fact that critical thermal aspects would have a significant influence on any metal cutting process. The possible improvement in the overall efficiency that might arise out of any refinements in the thermal fields would naturally attract the attention of the industry. At the same time, the very complex nature of the problem poses serious problems when the true influence of the critical parameters is sought for. While the numerous analytical, experimental and numerical investigations reported earlier show the interest and challenges associated with the process, it appears there is still some scope for further research and refinement. This paper presents another method of solving the thermal fields of metal cutting tools combining certain classical techniques suggested in the past with some relatively new methods of the continuum approach. The moving work piece and the chip are considered as one domain and the stationary cutting tool as another domain to simulate the material flow conditions. The iterative solution sufficiently takes care of the distribution of the primary and secondary heat sources and the need to assume a heat partition coefficient is eliminated. A mixed finite element and boundary element method finally enables the estimation of the cutting temperatures. While the thermal fields analysed in carbide turning inserts show considerable amount of agreement with previous data, the approach seems to be quite simple and reliable and can be readily applied to any metal cutting problem.