Heat Flux in Cutting: Importance, Simulation and Validation

The trends of machining difficult-to-machine materials and of dry machining or MQL lead to high temperatures in the cutting zone and increase the importance of thermal factors in the machining process. Besides amplified thermal tool loading and wear, the thermal fluxes affect the machining accuracy due to thermo-elastic deformations. Thus it is extremely important to know the magnitudes of these heat flows in order to assess the machining process heat and the tool wear and to develop compensation strategies against thermal tool center point (TCP) displacements.