3D stationary simulation of a turning operation with an Eulerian approach

Turning is one of the most widely used manufacturing processes in the industrial environment and the need for performance requires numerical simulation to better understand and control what happens during machining and turning operations. This work focuses on the development of a 3D finite element model simulating a turning operation in the thermal and mechanical steady state. It makes it possible to know temperature distribution in the chip, the machined part, the tool and tool-holder. It is based on an Eulerian formulation which allows representing the material flow without the need for simulating the transient step (chip formation and element damaging). In this paper, the method developed is applied to 304L austenitic stainless steel and the computed fields are compared to experimental tests to show the interest of such an approach for the study of the steady state. •A 3D turning operation is modeled with machined part, tool, shim and tool-holder.•A 3D finite element model is set up with an Eulerian formulation.•Temperature fields are determined in a steady state of turning operation.•Thermal contact resistances and thermal exchanges are considered.•Numerical results are compared with experimental measurements.