Computer-based modelling of thermal distortions in turning

Abstract It is well established that in metal removal processes almost all the energy used for the process is transformed into heat, thus affecting the tool life and the accuracy of the workpiece. The primary heat source is the deformation work and friction in the contact zone between the workpiece and the tool, which cause the temperature to increase. In order to control the temperature increase, cutting fluids are used to reduce friction and to remove the heat from the work zone. A finite element method based computer model was developed for the simulation of thermal deformation in multipass turning when different cooling conditions were applied. This paper presents novel theoretical and experimental solutions to establish model parameters in order to ensure adequacy of the model to the real heat transfer process in turning. This new inverse problem solution (IPS) technique was applied to obtain the heat generated by the cutting process and the heat transfer coefficients from the workpiece to still air and the air-oil or air-water cooling mixture. The predicted results for workpiece temperature field and workpiece accuracy are in good agreement with the measured data.