[Paper Review] Dry Cutting Experiments Database Ti6Al4V and Ck45

Hagen Klippel, Stefan Süssmaier+2 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Sep 9, 2022

Advanced machining processes and optimization4 citations

TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive experimental database of dry orthogonal cutting tests on Ti6Al4V and Ck45 (AISI 1045) steels, covering a wide range of cutting speeds (10–500 m/min) and feeds (0.01–0.4 mm/rev). It provides calibrated process force data, measured cutting edge radii, chip morphology, and Kienzle force model coefficients, enabling accurate inverse identification of constitutive material parameters for numerical simulation of high-strain-rate, high-temperature metal cutting processes.

ABSTRACT

The numerical simulation of metal cutting processes requires material data for constitutive equations, which cannot be obtained with standard material testing procedures. Instead, inverse identifications of material parameters within numerical simulation models of the cutting experiment itself are necessary. The intention of the present report is the provision of results of a large scale experimental study of dry orthogonal cutting experiments of Ti6Al4V (3.7165 Grade 5) and Ck45 (AISI 1045) along with their documentation and interpretation. The process forces are evaluated and each cutting insert geometry has been measured prior to the experiments to determine the cutting edge radii for each experiment. The resulting chip forms are analysed and the averaged chip thicknesses are determined. A material characterization is performed, which includes microstructural investigations on the raw materials and is reported together with tensile test results. The assembled data set can be used for parameter identification when the experimental conditions are reproduced in numerical simulations. The cutting test results are finally used to derive coefficients for Kienzle's force model. The data is stored in the pCloud and contains process force measurement data, cutting edge radii scans, pictures of chip geometries and etched chips.

Motivation & Objective

• To address the lack of reliable, reproducible material data for constitutive models in high-strain-rate, high-temperature metal cutting simulations.
• To overcome the limitations of literature-based material parameters, which show large variations due to material batch differences and processing histories.
• To provide a standardized, experimentally validated dataset for inverse identification of material parameters in numerical cutting simulations.
• To derive Kienzle force model coefficients for Ti6Al4V and Ck45 across a wide range of cutting conditions.
• To enable accurate simulation of dry orthogonal cutting by providing detailed, traceable experimental data including tool geometry, chip formation, and material characterization.

Proposed method

• Conducting large-scale dry orthogonal cutting experiments on Ti6Al4V (Grade 5) and Ck45 (AISI 1045) in a controlled environment with no lubrication or cooling.
• Measuring cutting edge radii of new inserts using 3D metrology prior to each test to account for geometric influence on process forces.
• Recording real-time process forces (Ft, Fr, Fn) during each cutting run across 10–500 m/min cutting speeds and 0.01–0.4 mm/rev feeds.
• Analyzing chip geometry, thickness, and microstructure, including etched samples and EBSD analysis to detect anisotropies.
• Performing tensile tests and hardness measurements on raw material batches to characterize mechanical behavior under quasi-static conditions.
• Deriving Kienzle force model coefficients as a function of cutting speed using measured process forces and chip thickness data.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 How do process forces in dry orthogonal cutting of Ti6Al4V and Ck45 vary across a wide range of cutting speeds and feeds?
• RQ2 To what extent do cutting edge radius and material microstructure influence the measured process forces and chip formation?
• RQ3 What are the Kienzle force model coefficients for Ti6Al4V and Ck45 across the full experimental range of 10–500 m/min cutting speed?
• RQ4 How do material-specific behaviors—such as dynamic strain aging in Ck45 and high-temperature strength in Ti6Al4V—affect chip formation and process forces?
• RQ5 Can a consistent, reproducible experimental dataset be established to enable reliable inverse identification of constitutive model parameters?

Key findings

• The dataset includes 100+ dry orthogonal cutting experiments on Ti6Al4V and Ck45, covering cutting speeds from 10 to 500 m/min and feeds from 0.01 to 0.4 mm/rev.
• Cutting edge radii were measured with 3D metrology prior to each test, with values ranging from 0.01 mm to 0.22 mm, confirming their significant influence on process forces.
• Chip thicknesses were measured and correlated with cutting parameters, showing consistent trends across materials and conditions.
• Kienzle force model coefficients were derived for both materials as functions of cutting speed, enabling improved force prediction in simulations.
• Microstructural analysis revealed no major grain anisotropy or preferential orientation in the tested batches, supporting material homogeneity.
• Tensile tests confirmed consistent yield and ultimate tensile strengths within expected ranges, with Ck45 showing rate-dependent behavior and Ti6Al4V exhibiting high strength at elevated temperatures.