Study on mechanism of chip formation during high-speed milling of alloy cast iron

By adopting an equivalent geometry model of chip, a finite element model was developed to study the mechanism of chip formation during high-speed milling of alloy cast iron. Several key technologies such as material constitutive model, friction model, chip separation criteria, chip damage criteria, heat dissipation, and transfer were implemented to improve the accuracy of finite element simulation. Saw-tooth chip of alloy cast iron was observed. The chip shape and cutting force agreed well with experimental results. The simulation results show that the maximum cutting temperature produced with appearance of saw-tooth chip crack, and it is located on the chip-tool contact surface. The saw-tooth chip is caused by double actions of thermoplastic instability and plastic instability. The chip saw-tooth degree decreases when increasing the rotating speed, while it increases when increasing the feed speed. This work provides a useful understanding for chip formation process and helps to optimize machining parameters and process of high-speed milling of alloy cast iron.