A numerical approach to the heat transfer in monolithic and SiC reinforced HfB2, ZrB2 and TiB2 ceramic cutting tools

Cutting tools are widely used in industry and must be hard enough for machining processes, which should work appropriately at low temperatures to improve cutting speed and productivity. In this research, a numerical method was employed to calculate the temperature distribution in the cutting tools made of different diborides. Monolithic and SiC reinforced HfB2, ZrB2 and TiB2 ceramics were selected for investigation and comparison studies. In this regard, 3-dimensional heat conduction equation was solved in a cutting tool with radiative, convective and heat flux boundary conditions by finite element method using COMSOL Multiphysics. This study clarifies that the maximum temperature in the tools made of ZrB2 and TiB2 among the monolithic ceramics is lower than that of HfB2. Moreover, the temperature variation slope versus time is the highest in HfB2. All composite materials reinforced with SiC showed lower maximum temperature than the monolithic ones. The thermal performance of TiB2-SiC and ZrB2-SiC composites was acquired to be better than that of the other investigated materials. The dominant heat transfer mechanism in the cutting tools was conduction.