Investigation of the cooling effect of heat pipe-embedded cutter in dry machining with different thermal conductivities of cutter/workpiece materials and different cutting parameters

Traditional cooling methods used to irrigate coolants are not environment friendly and economical. An innovative idea, which is environment friendly, is to integrate a transcalent device without outer driving-heat pipe, into the structure of cutter. Cutting parameters directly affect removing material efficiency and shape of the cutting chip, which affects flow of cutting heat. Thermal conductivities of cutting tool and workpiece affect heat transmission and distribution across the machining system. In this paper, cutting experiments and finite element simulations were carried out to explore the impact of workpiece and cutter materials and three cutting parameters on the cooling effect of heat pipe-embedded cutter. Cooling effect of the heat pipe embedded into cutter was significantly higher than the ordinary cutter. About 40 % of the heat flowing into the cutter was transferred by the heat pipe; temperature at the measurement point of rake face decreases by about 50 C-a similar to; highest temperature of cutter decreased by about 200 C-a similar to. Cooling effect of the embedded heat pipe was affected by the materials of workpiece and cutter, and cutting parameters as well. The heat pipe transfers heat more efficiently when there is a large heat flux causing a more efficient decrease in the temperature of tool bit when difficult-to-cut metal was machined. Compared to other cutting parameters, cutting speed has a dominant effect on the cooling of the heat pipe.