Influence of the cutting tool geometry on milling aluminum honeycomb structures

The manufacture of aluminum honeycomb structures is a major concern for companies in the aerospace industry, due to its out-of-plane high strength and stiffness-to-weight ratio. However, the shaping of this type of structure represents a technical challenge for engineers and researchers in terms of premature wear of the cutting tool and the quality of the machined surface. Generally, machining studies are based on experimental tests. Nevertheless, the experimental procedure fails to follow the mechanism of chip formation due to high rotational speeds of the cutting tool. To this end, it is necessary to use robust and reliable numerical models to access instantaneous and much localized physical quantities. For this purpose, we have developed a 3D finite element model associated with real working conditions using the Abaqus/Explicit analysis software. Based on this model, an experimental validation was carried out by analyzing the appropriate behavior laws. Furthermore, the influence of the geometry of the cutting tool in terms of the number of teeth on the size of the chips, the cutting forces, and the quality of the generated surface was analyzed. The obtained results show that the integrity of the cutting tool can be optimized and the quality of the machined surface can be improved.