Evaluation of heat generation using a microscopic cutting model with thermo-mechanical coupling for carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites

A three-dimensional micromechanical finite element cutting model with the thermo-mechanical coupling was developed for carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites in the paper. The finite element modeling considers the three phases of a composite, in which the interphase between the fiber and matrix can realize heat transfer and allow debonding to represent the failure of composites. The model predictions of the machining responses, such as cutting temperature and subsurface damage, at different fiber orientations were compared with various experimental data for model validation. It is indicated that the three phase micromechanical model is capable of precisely predicting cutting temperature and the damage induced by the cutting tool. It was found that cutting temperature and subsurface damage strongly depend on the fiber orientation. Subsurface damage is easily occurs in a fiber orientation range of 90°–135°, while the largest depth of the thermal damage occurs at 90°. In addition, the effect of machining parameters on the cutting temperature was investigated based on the cutting model. It was showed that the cutting speed should be reasonably selected to control the cutting temperature. The temperature decrease with increase the rake angle, while increase with increase depth of cut and radius of cutting edge.