Numerical simulations of ductile regime machining of silicon nitride using the Drucker-Prager material model

Recent studies have shown that many semiconductor and ceramic materials can be machined in ductile fashion under high pressures and at low depths of cut. In a previous study, the authors reported results from numerical simulations of the orthogonal machining of silicon nitride using a pressure independent material model with the von Mises yield criterion. In the present work, the mechanical behaviour of silicon nitride is treated using the Drucker-Prager yield criterion implemented in the commercial machining software AdvantEdge. Numerical simulations are carried out for depths of cut ranging from 1 to 40 mum and at cutting speeds ranging from 25 to 300 m/min. Results from the simulations are presented, and modelling issues are discussed.