Abstract
In the machining of high-strength materials, shear localization in serrated chip formation leads to time-varying thermo-mechanical loads exerted by the cutting tool on the machined surface. This results in periodic changes to surface integrity. This article explains the formation mechanism of machined surface microfeatures and residual stress fluctuations associated with serrated chip formation, based on a finite element model of machining Waspaloy using the coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian method. The model is validated by comparing the simulation results with experimentally measured chip morphologies and machined surface profiles. During machining with a constant chip thickness, the machined surface exhibits a uniformly distributed residual stress pattern along the cutting velocity direction. However, increased cutting velocity and serrated chip formation cause periodic shear bands, leading to time-varying location of the stagnation point on the cutting tool. This results in variations in the workpiece material volume and the thermo-mechanical loads in the plowing region. After machining, the periodical variation in the elastic recovery of the plowed material at the bottom of the cutting tool creates waveforms on the finished surface, accompanied by fluctuations in residual stress at the same frequency as chip serration. The simulations quantitatively determine the normal/shear contact force at the tool-workpiece interfaces to reveal the effect of the time-varying stagnation point location on surface topographies and residual stress distributions.
