Mechanistic modeling of ball end milling including tool wear

A mechanistic approach for the simulation of ball end milling including tool wear is presented in this paper. The inclusion of tool wear is required when developing the process plans for a part, as the realistic cutting forces experienced during the full operation must be considered. The total cutting force is considered as the summation of the forces from the rake face, cutting edge and flank face, where the flank force is defined as a function of the flank wear. The in-cut cutting edge is divided into infinitesimal segments and for each segment the differential forces are computed. Summing up the differential forces of the in-cut infinitesimal segments forms the instantaneous cutting forces. The empirical tool wear model of the cutting edge is based on wear measurements made at 1° increments around the ball of the cutting edge angle within the in-cut region of the tool. A systematic model calibration procedure for calibrating the force coefficients of the rake face, cutting edge and flank face was developed. The validation of the approach was performed using a finishing operation on hardened H13 die steel with uncoated Tungsten carbide inserts.