Advanced Materials Research Vol 188 (2011) pp 372-375 Online: 2011-03-29

© (2011) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland

doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.188.372

Finite element method simulation of drilling process on metal-matrix

composites
H.L. Zhanga and J. Chenb
1
School of Mechanical Engineering, Shenyang Ligong University, Shenyang 110159, China
a b
syluzhanghl@163.com, chenjinwawa@163.com

Keywords: Finite element method; Thrust force; Torque; Drilling.

Abstract. Drilling is one of the complex machining processes, which has been widely applied in the
manufacturing area. In this paper, a 3D coupled thermo-mechanical finite element model was used for
simulating the thrust force, torque and von Mises equivalent stress at different cutting conditions. The
J-C damage model (shear failure) was used in conjunction with the J-C plasticity model, as well as the
continuous adaptive remeshing technical. The results show that the thrust force and torque increase
with the increasing of the cutting speed and feed rate, and the influence of the feed rate is more
obviously.

Introduction
Metal-matrix composites (MMCs) are a relatively new class of materials characterized by lighter
weight and greater wear resistance than those of conventional materials. These materials have been
considered for use in automobile brake rotors and various components in internal combustion engines
[1-2]. Drilling is one of the complex machining processes, which has been widely applied in the
manufacturing area. It accounts for 50% of the total mechanical machining processes in the
automotive industry. The proportion in the aircraft industry is higher. Compared with other cutting
processes, heat generation during the drilling process is especially serious because drilling is a
semi-enclosed cutting process [3]. There are a few experimental and numerical studies to measure the
drilling force and temperature existing during the drilling process. Strategies adopted for successful
machining of a composite plate depend more on the reinforcement than on the matrix material [4].
Agapiou et al. [5] developed analytical model for twist drill temperature and used the model for
comparison of experimental and analytical.
In this paper, a 3D coupled thermo-mechanical finite element (FE) model was applied to analysis
the effects of drilling speed and feed rate on the stress distribution of the drill bit and drill force during
the cutting of MMCs.

Numerical model of drill machining

Finite element model. A 3D thermo-mechanically coupled finite element model of dry drilling
operations has been developed by using commercial FE code (ABAQUS v6.4). Figure 1 shows an
illustration of the model and boundary conditions. The dimensional and mechanical properties of the
drilling tool are displayed in Table 1. A finite element simulation of drilling processes at different
cutting conditions was performed using the validated model. The workpiece is a deformable body
with elastic-plastic material model, which depends on strain, strain rate and temperature.
Displacement boundary conditions are defined to fix the workpiece at the bottom and lateral side. The
heat is generated due to plastic work and friction at the tool chip interface. Continuous adaptive
remeshing is used for the separation of the chip from the workpiece. Additionally, the cutting tool was
treated as a rigid body.

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 Advanced Materials Research Vol. 188 373

(a) (b)
Fig.1 Finite-element model of drilling of MMCs, (a)3D PCD drill bit, (b) Finite element model.

Table 1. The dimensional and mechanical properties of the drilling tool

Drill bit diameter 4.6 mm
Flute 2 flute
Point angle 120°
Helix angle 26°
Shank type Cylindrical

Material properties. To model the thermo-elastic-plastic behavior of MMCs, the Johnson-Cook

constitutive equation was employed, which can be represented by the following equation:

 ε
   T − T0 
m
 
σ = [ A + B(ε ) ]1 + C ln  1 − 
n
  (1)
 ε 0    Tmelt − T0


 

where σ is the flow stress; ε the plastic strain; ε
the strain rate (s-1); ε
0 the reference plastic
strain rate (s-1); T the workpiece temperature; Tmelt the melting temperature of the workpiece material
and T0 the room temperature. Coefficient A (MPa) is the yield strength; B (MPa) the hardening
modulus; C the strain rate sensitivity coefficient; n the hardening coefficient and m the thermal
softening coefficient. The material constants used in Johnson-Cook constitutive equation in the FE
computational analysis were listed in Table 2.

Table 2 Material parameters applied in the FE computational analysis.

Material parameters PCD inserts MMCs
E, Young’s modulus [GPa] 1147 213
ν , Poisson’s ratio 0.07 0.23
-1 -6
coefficient of thermal expansion [K ] 4.0×10 8.0×10-6
ρ , density [kg m ]
-1
4.25×10 3
2.94×103
k, thermal conductivity [W m-1K-1 ] 2100 135
CP ,specific heat [J kg-1 K-1 ] 525 850

Results and discussions

Effect of the cutting speed and feed rate on drill force. The simulations of the dry drilling of
MMCs at six different cutting speeds (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 m/min) and varying feed rate are
conducted. As the drilling time increased, the thrust force and torque increased quickly and
significantly and then reached a steady state. Figs. 2 and 3 show the thrust force and torque produced
by PCD drills, respectively. Comparing Fig. 2a and b, Fig. 3a and b, it can be seen that the drill force
374 High Speed Machining

and torque increases with spindle speed, which is good agreement with that in literature for different
materials [6-7]. The thrust force varying trends with the increasing of cutting speed and feed rate are
shown in Fig. 4. The curve of cutting force increased obviously with the increase of cutting speed and
feed rate. From Fig. 4a, it can be observed that the cutting force increased from 509.9 to 584.4 N when
the cutting speed changed from 10 to 30 m/min. On the contrary, the cutting force increased from
103.3 to 997.0 N when the feed rate changed from 0.1 mm/r to 0.4 mm/r, as shown in Fig. 4b. That is
to say the cutting force increased evidently with increasing of feed rate.

(a) (b)
Fig. 2. Drill force at cutting speed of, (a) v=10 m/min, (b) v=30 m/min.

(a) (b)
Fig. 3. Torque at cutting speed of, (a) v=10 m/min, (b) v=30 m/min.

(a) (b)
Fig. 4. Effects of the cutting speed and feed rate on thrust force.

Von Mises equivalent stress distribution. In Fig. 5, two images of the simulation process are
shown. In Fig. 5a, the start of the process with the drill in contact with the workpiece is presented. Fig.
7b represents the resulting von Mises equivalent stress caused by tool movement. In order to enable a
better understanding of the process, the upper plies were removed and the von Mises equivalent stress
amplified. Grey grades correspond to different von Mises equivalent stress in the workpiece.
 Advanced Materials Research Vol. 188 375

(a) (b)
Fig. 5. Images from the start and end of a finite element simulation with a PCD drill, (a) simulation
start; (b) von Mises stress in the workpiece.

Conclusions
A three-dimensional finite element model was developed with the aim to study the drilling process in
MMCs. The main objectives were to compare drill geometries and its influence on thrust force and
torque. In the developed model, PCD inserts were considered as a rigid body and different drill
geometries were studied. The results indicated that both of the cutting speed and feed rate have
influence on the thrust force, and the influence of feed rate if more obvious. With the increasing of
cutting speed or feed rate, the thrust force and torque increased.

References
[1] J. Paulo Davim: J. Mater. Process. Technol. Vol. 132 (2003), p. 250.
[2] F.E. Kennedy, A.C. Balbahadur and D.S. Lashmore: Wear Vol. 203/204 (1997), p. 715.
[3] J. Wu and R.D. Han: J. Manuf. Process. Vol. 11 (2009), p. 19.
[4] J.A. Boldt and J.P. Chanani: Eng. Mater. Handbook, Vol. 1, Sec. 9. ASM International. 1987.
[5] J.S. Agapiou and M.F. DeVries: Int J Mach Tools Manuf. Vol. 30 (1990), p. 203.
[6] J.S. Strenkowski, A.J. Shih and J. Lin: Int. J. Mach. Tools Manuf. Vol. 44 (2004), p. 1413.
[7] M. Mahdi and L. Zhang: J. Mater. Process. Technol. Vol. 113 (2001), p. 368.
High Speed Machining
10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.188

Finite Element Method Simulation of Drilling Process on Metal-Matrix Composites

10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.188.372

DOI References
[1] J. Paulo Davim: J. Mater. Process. Technol. Vol. 132 (2003), p. 250.
doi:10.1016/S0263-8223(03)00085-0
[2] F.E. Kennedy, A.C. Balbahadur and D.S. Lashmore: Wear Vol. 203/204 (1997), p. 715.
doi:10.1016/S0043-1648(96)07451-0
[3] J. Wu and R.D. Han: J. Manuf. Process. Vol. 11 (2009), p. 19.
doi:10.1016/S1003-6326(10)60064-7
[5] J.S. Agapiou and M.F. DeVries: Int J Mach Tools Manuf. Vol. 30 (1990), p. 203.
doi:10.1016/0890-6955(90)90131-2
[6] J.S. Strenkowski, A.J. Shih and J. Lin: Int. J. Mach. Tools Manuf. Vol. 44 (2004), p. 1413.
doi:10.1016/j.ijmachtools.2004.01.005
[7] M. Mahdi and L. Zhang: J. Mater. Process. Technol. Vol. 113 (2001), p. 368.
doi:10.1016/S0924-0136(01)00676-8