Simulation of End Milling on FEM using ALE Formulation

In end milling, cutting forces and residual stresses need to be precisely predicted in order to improve the quality of the workpiece. Numerical simulation has however not been very successful using the Lagrangian formulation in Finite Element Analysis. This is partly because there is no satisfactory and accurate separation criterion used in the modelling procedure. The results are found to be highly sensitive to the separation criterion used. End milling process simulation by the use of the Finite Element Method was investigated in this paper with an Arbitrary Lagrangian Formulation (ALE). This formulation is gaining more recognition in structural analysis nowadays, due to the combined advantages of both Lagrangian and Eulerian formulations in a single model. One major advantage is that a separation criterion is not required in the formulation. The advantages of this approach are demonstrated in the paper. The cutting forces are obtained in good agreement with experimental data.