In this study, the commercial finite element software FORGE2005®, able to solve complex thermo-mechanical problems is used to model titanium alloy dry machining. One of the main machining characteristics of titanium alloys is to produce a special chip morphology named “saw-tooth chip” or serrated chip for a wide range of cutting speeds and feeds. The mechanism of saw-tooth chip formation is still not completely understood. Among the two theories about its formation, this study assumes that chip segmentation is only induced by adiabatic shear band formation and thus no material failure occurs in the primary shear zone. Based on the assumption of material strain softening, a new material law was developed. The aim of this study is to analyze the newly developed model's capacity to correctly simulate the machining process. The model validation is based on the comparison of experimental and simulated results, such as chip formation, global chip morphology, cutting forces and geometrical chip characteristics. A good correlation was found between the experimental and numerical results, especially for cutting speeds generating low tool wear.

The present contribution on tool wear during the drilling of carbon fiber composite materials (CFRP)/Ti stacks intends to determine (i) if the adhesion of titanium to carbide is mechanical or chemical, (ii) the possible diffusion path, (iii) if the titanium is the only element involved in the adhesion and (iv) the role of the CFRP in this wear. The overall tool wear is not the sum of the wear in each material and there is a multiplicative effect between them. It has been pointed out that the maximum temperature reached during drilling is higher than 180 °C, 400 °C and 750 °C respectively in the CFRP and Ti plates alone and in the Ti part of the stack. As tungsten carbide CW is not in equilibrium with titanium above 250 °C, the diffusion path is CW/(Ti,W)C/Ti as confirmed by Auger analysis. For temperatures above 500 °C, (Ti,W)C becomes very sensitive to oxidation allowing a friable oxycarbide (Ti,C,O) to form, which explains the erosion of the tool. The CW is therefore the weakest link in the drilling of CFRP/Ti stacks. Improving the performance of the tool involves the use of a coating, the development of a tool material having low chemical affinity with Ti and/or the use of cryogenic lubricant.

Understanding the mechanism of chip formation during orthogonal cutting requires a local measurement of the displacement and strain fields in the cutting zone. These measurements can then be used in order to enhance/validate numerical simulation of metal cutting or calibrate material behavior laws for a better prediction of the thermomechanical loads inside the cutting zone. Particle tracking to identify the strain localization that is exhibited in the Adiabatic Shear Band (ASB) is a challenging task. These local measurements can be determined by images post-processing while using the Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique or analytical models using streamline models or by micro grid analysis. Recently, the use of the DIC technique is widely increased. Texture quality has been shown to be an important factor. Various techniques of surface preparation are then discussed and classified in terms of the created pattern size. Tools for texture analysis are presented. The technique suitability for the kinematic fields measurement while using the DIC technique during machining is discussed. Various optical systems of the literature employed in the context of kinematic fields measurement during machining are discussed in this paper. The recent advances on the design of optical systems are given. Finally, the results of kinematic fields measurement during machining metallic alloys are analyzed.