Finite Element Analysis of the Effect of Cutting Speeds on the Orthogonal Machining Process of AA 6082 (T6) Alloy

A Finite element analysis of the effect of cutting speeds on the orthogonal machining process of AA 6082 (T6) alloy material has been carried out in this research work. The work material constitutive behavior was modeled using the Johnson – Cook (J-C) and the Zerilli – Armstrong (Z-A) flow stress models. The orthogonal cutting experiments were carried out with a tube of AA 6082 (T6) material with two different cutting speeds of 34 m/min and 82 m/min and feed rates of 0.102, 0.159, 0.205 and 0.26 mm/rev. The results of the FEM simulation for cutting force, chip thickness and shear angle were evaluated against the Experiments. The FEM results for cutting forces at a cutting speed of 82 m/min with J-C and Z-A flow stress models produced deviations of 16% and 22% in comparison to experiments at a higher feed rate of 0.26 mm/rev while the deviations for a cutting speed of 34 m/min were 28% and 32%. The FEM result with the J-C model estimated the shear angle within a deviation of 2% and the chip thickness within 15% of the experiments for a cutting speed of 82 m/min while the deviations were marginally higher for a cutting speed of 34 m/min. The FEM results with the J-C model for effective stress, strain, strain rate and temperature distribution at a cutting speed of 82 m/min gave better insight into the cutting phenomena than the results with a cutting speed of 34 m/min. The J-C model in particular predicted the cutting behavior of AA 6082 (T6) better than the Z-A model for both cutting speeds.