Development of a numerical model for the understanding of the chip formation in high-pressure water-jet assisted machining

The aim of this study is to develop a new numerical cutting model that includes fluid structure interaction and to take into account heat transfer between the water-jet, the workpiece and the chip. This has been achieved using a CEL (Coupled-Eulerian-Lagrangian) technique, an algorithm has been developed to ensure heat exchange between the fluid and the structure. This new model allows decoupling of the mechanical and the thermal effects of the water-jet on chip formation and fragmentation. It has been demonstrated that fragmentation of the chip is ensured by the combination of the thermal and the mechanical effects of the water-jet. Moreover, the tool rake temperature is reduced by more than 400 °C, the tool/chip contact length is also decreased by about 30%.