Finite element simulation of diamond tool geometries affecting the 3D surface topography in fly cutting of KDP crystals

Diamond tool has significant influences on the finished surface quality in fly cutting of potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) crystals. In this work, the nanoindentation and dimensional analysis are employed to establish the material constitutive equation of KDP crystals, i.e., the variation curve of flow stress vs. plastic strain. As expected, a novel 3D finite element (FE) model is developed for diamond fly cutting of KDP crystals, and the generation of 3D surface topography is simulated by multi-run cutting calculations, in which the movements of diamond tool are configured to be identical to the actual feed rate and cutting velocity. Subsequently, the coordinates of the nodes on the topmost surface as freshly machined are collected to evaluate the surface roughness, which enables the detailed analyses of the effect of diamond tool geometries on the achieved surface roughness of KDP crystals. The results suggest an optimal selection of tool geometries, i.e. -25 rake angle and 8 clearance angle. With the increment of tool nose radius, surface roughness decreases correspondingly. Moreover, the larger defect or sharpness of tool cutting edge produces the worse surface roughness. Diamond fly cutting experiments are carried out with different rake angles, in which the cutting parameters are the same as the values used in FE simulations. The measured surface roughness has a satisfied consistency with the simulated data, which demonstrates that the developed 3D FE cutting model and the related simulations are reliable.