Experimental study of friction from cutting forces in orthogonal milling

The present work shows the procedure used for the study of friction in orthogonal milling. The equipment employed to measure cutting forces includes a rotating dynamometer and a multichannel portable data acquisition system. Signal filtering is applied to reduce the dynamic system problems. The analysis of the relation between cutting force (Fc) and radial force (Fr) allows to assess the dependence of friction and chip thickness on cutting speed and feed per revolution. Also, the study of the influence of workpiece material on milling process shows that cutting force (Fc) decreases and friction increases with improving workpiece material machinability. Hence, a significant contribution to knowledge in a research field with a little previous literature, such as the friction in orthogonal milling, is made in the present work through a comparative analysis of cutting forces (Fc and Fr) that allows to study the influence of cutting speed and feed per revolution on friction and to propose a new approach for machinability associated to Fc rather than to friction coefficient.