Analysis and modelling of the contact radius effect on the cutting forces in cylindrical and face turning of Ti6Al4V titanium alloy

Cutting forces are representative data to characterize machining operations. They have to be known to perform the part manufacturing. Therefore, cutting forces predictive models are useful and it is possible to optimize them by taking into account new parameters. Hence, this study deals with the geometrical modelling of tool-workpiece interaction and its influence on the cutting forces. The analysis focuses on convex contact radius between the machined part and the tool. Experiments are based on cylindrical and face turning of Ti6Al4V titanium alloy. The results highlight a significant influence of contact conditions on ploughing mechanisms, and consequently on the cutting forces intensity. This phenomenon is taken into account in the suggested models, providing a better accuracy of cutting forces modelled. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B. V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).