THE COMPUTER-SIMULATION OF THE TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION ON THE SURFACE OF CERAMIC CUTTING TOOLS

The temperature distributions on the surface of Si3N4 and Ti(CN) ceram ic cutting tools for turning different metallic materials were calcula ted and plotted using computer simulation based on a mathematic model of heat sources. The results showed that the temperature on the rake f ace of the ceramic cutting tools for turning 18-8 stainless steel was much higher than that for turning 1045 plain carbon steel due to the m uch lower thermal conductivity of the former; the temperature increase d with increasing cutting speed. This observation is important in expl aining the wear resistance and wear mechanisms of the two ceramic cutt ing tools. The computed temperature distributions on the surface of th e ceramic cutting tools were checked by measurement with a thermal vid eo system (TVS), and showed good agreement. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.