Investigation of tool-workpiece interaction in nanoscale cutting: a molecular dynamics study

Abstract

Ductile and brittle materials differ in their physical and mechanical properties and pose distinct interaction with the cutting tool while nano-machining. It is thus imperative to analyse the mechanism of material removal and tool-workpiece interaction. Towards this, molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) is carried out to study the diamond tool and workpiece interaction in the nanoscale cutting of Cu (ductile material) and Si (brittle material). Results show that material removal in Cu takes place through shear deformation by dislocations formation and their propagation while in case of Si, it takes place through phase transformation of the material in cutting zone. Force analysis of both the materials shows that machinability of Cu in nanoscale cutting is better compared to Si. Furthermore, tool wear while machining of Si with sharp edge tool is due to chipping whereas radial distribution function reveals that graphitisation of the round edge tool occurs during machining of Si.