Measurement and prediction of cutting temperatures during dry milling: review and discussions

Higher rate of production and better surface quality are major driving forces for modern machining systems. Higher cutting speeds can be used to achieve higher production rates. The generation of heat puts a limit on cutting speeds, thus reducing production rates. Almost all energy spent in machining operations is converted into heat. The plastic deformation of metals during machining is concentrated in a narrow zone and thus very high temperature is expected in this zone. These high temperatures are responsible for reduction in tool life and degradation of surface quality. The complex coupling between plastic deformation and temperature fields is an area of research for many years. The techniques like numerical, analytical and experimental were used for the prediction of the cutting temperatures accurately. Milling is one of the most versatile machining processes used in modern industries. As the industries are focusing more on reducing the use of cutting fluids because of their harmful effects to the operators and environment, dry milling is used as an alternative. Measurement and prediction of the cutting temperature during milling is challenging because of the variation in the high-speed rotating cutter and chip thickness. In this paper, the literature on experimental measurement of the cutting temperatures and prediction of cutting temperatures using numerical, analytical and experimental techniques for dry milling operations is reviewed. The methodology used for modelling and the novelty in the work are highlighted. Initially, a brief review of the temperature measurement techniques is taken to bring out their relative merits and demerits. The paper is aimed to highlight the latest work in this field and also, the areas needed to be addressed are discussed.