Molecular dynamics simulation of subsurface deformed layers in nanometric cutting using atomic force microscope pin tool

Three-dimensional molecular dynamics simulations of nanometric cutting monocrystalline copper using atomic force microscope (AFM) pin tool are performed to investigate the effect of crystal orientation of work piece material, and cutting direction and cutting speed of tool on the depth of subsurface deformed layers. Embedded atom method (EAM) is used to simulate the interaction between workpiece atoms, and Morse potential is used to simulate the interaction between workpiece atoms and tool atoms. The potential energy variations of the atoms within the subsurface regions are obtained in the cutting process, a deformation criterion is presented to analyze the variations of subsurface atoms potential energy and determine subsurface atoms deformation behaviors. The simulation results reveal that the crystal orientation and cutting direction have a significant effect on the depth of subsurface deformed layers. Moreover, the depth of subsurface deformed layers is not affected by the cutting speed in the range of 20-250 m/s.