Modeling of cutting tool life with power consumption using Taylor’s equation

Abstract

Tool wear is a major cause of machinability degradation, so numerous studies have been conducted to predict tool wear and life. However, conventional methods show a trade-off relationship between the accuracy of the model and practicality in implementation in general, thus it is required to find a plausible solution. This study attempted to predict the tool life by using power consumption, which is a real-time monitoring parameter of the machining process with cost competitiveness and easy measurement. Here, to formulate the easily applicable model, Taylor’s equation form with a relatively simple configuration compared to conventional polynomial models was considered. Titanium alloy milling was performed, and the flank wear and the cutting power consumption purely required in material removal were calculated. Then, the tool life and the cutting power consumption were fitted with Taylor’s equation form. By arranging both equations, a direct tool life model representing the relationship between cutting power consumption and tool life was established. A verification test was performed to evaluate the predictive accuracy and usability of the direct tool life model. Experimental results showed that the cutting power consumption is influenced by the process parameters in a similar way to the tool life, following Taylor’s equation form well. It is believed that power consumption can be a significant parameter for not only efficient processing but also process monitoring with ease of implementation.