Experimental Investigations of Size Effect on Cutting Force, Specific Cutting Energy, and Surface Integrity during Micro Cutting

Abstract

Micro cutting is a promising technology to manufacture the micro parts. The shear mechanism of micro cutting is different from the conventional cutting due to the round cutting edge. The ratio of uncut chip thickness to cutting edge radius plays an important role on the micro cutting process. This paper investigates the size effect phenomena of micro cutting. Firstly, the cutting force and size effect of specific cutting energy depending on the ratio of uncut chip thickness to cutting edge radius are analyzed according to the experimental results. Then, the size effect of surface roughness due to the size effect of specific cutting energy is explored. Lastly, the size effect of the exit burr height is depicted and the potential reason is analyzed. The paper supplies a good understanding of how to get the best surface integrity and minimize the exit burr height for micro cutting.