Analysis of the machining process of sintered bronze

The machining process observed during orthogonal cutting tests for sintered bronze of 11%, 23% and 33% porosity is analyzed. Each step of the machining process, that is, compaction due to the indentation by a cutting tool, the shear local to the tip of the tool and the fracture near the chip root are simulated by a mechanical model based on classical theories of indentation, machining and fracture. The presented models make it possible to predict the several behaviors of the machining, such as the types of chip formation, maximum cutting pressure and chip wave length. Good agreement between the experimental results and the predictions is found.