Investigation on ball end milling of P20 die steel with cutter orientation

The generation mechanism of machining-induced residual stresses is a complex nonlinear and thermal–mechanical coupling problem. The cutting forces and cutting temperature produced in machining process must be considered simultaneously. The influence of cutter orientation and feed per tooth on the cutting speed, cutting forces, cutting temperature, and residual stresses is discussed in the present study. Effective cutting speed in accordance with the inclination angle in feed direction is analyzed. The cutting forces are gained by milling experiment, and the cutting temperature is obtained by finite element method. Moreover, the influence of the effective cutting speed on the cutting forces and cutting temperature is stated, and the relationship among the cutting forces, cutting temperature, and residual stresses is discussed. The experimental and numerical methods are both adopted in this study to give a better understanding of the milling process. After analysis of the phenomenon, several conclusions are made. The inclination angle in feed direction affects the effective cutting speed, and then the cutting forces, cutting temperature, and residual stresses are affected. Priority selection of inclination angle in feed direction is suggested from 5° to 30° in order to reduce the cutting forces. The overall trend of the workpiece temperature presents the parabolic shape, while the chip temperature increases with the increasing inclination angle in feed direction. Residual stress in feed direction almost increases with the increasing feed per tooth, which is not obvious in the general scope of the feed rate. The inclination angle of 5° and 15° is the priority in order to produce residual compressive stresses in cross feed direction.