Tool Wear in Cutting Glass-Fiber-Reinforced-Plastics : The Relation between Cutting Temperature and Tool Wear

The temperature at the cutting edge of a tool in machining glass-fiber-reinforced-plastics was measured by a special thermocouple method, in which two insulated wires were embedded in the workpiece, and the hot junction of the thermocouple was established when these wires were cut together with the workpiece. The temperature distribution along the cutting edge, and the relation between the physical property (thermal conductivity) of tool materials or cutting speed (spindle speed) and the temperature at the cutting edge were analyzed to estimate the relation between the cutting temperature and the flank wear of cutting tools.