Cutting-fluid flow with chip evacuation during deep-hole drilling with twist drills

What is it about?

In this study the important aspects of cutting fluid distribution and the chip evacuation during micro twist deep-hole drilling are investigated using 3D multi-physics simulation methods. A coupled particle simulation is performed to analyze the chip transport by combining Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics and the Discrete Element Method. Therefore, the transient transport of the chips is compared to a simulation scenario without chips. The coupled particle approach is capable to deal with free surfaces and fluid–solid interactions, that are subject to major topological changes over time. The chip positions resulting from the coupled particle simulation are used to carry out a Computational Fluid Dynamics simulation which considers the physical boundary conditions of the fluid and the process parameters to perform in-depth flow analyses. The results show good qualitative agreement between both simulation methods. Furthermore, the results show that large dead-zones with no fluid or almost zero fluid velocity exist in the flutes and that the chips there only experience a small evacuation force from the cutting fluid. The presented coupled approach of combining CFD and SPH–DEM simulation provide a significant support for future investigations to research the chip transport and to improve the tools and the process further.

Featured Image

Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash

Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash

Why is it important?

New 3D simulation methods make it possible to take the cutting fluids into consideration in the machining of tools with geometric cutting edges and thus to optimize the process in a way that has not been considered so far. This will sustainably support and advance research.

Perspectives