Tool Life

Tool Life
• The time between two successive tool
changes is known as tool life
• It is the cutting time at the end of which the
tool is unusable, based on specific tool failure
criterion
Tool failure criteria
Tool failure criteria
VB = 0.3 mm
VBmax = 0.6 mm
KT = 0.06 + 0.3f mm
f is feed per rev
Flank wear criterion
 Indirect criteria
• Limiting value of surface roughness
• Limiting value of change in machined
dimensions (loss of dimensional accuracy)
• Increase in cutting force/power consumption
• Volume of material removed
 Tool Life
• Tool Life Equations
• Effect of process parameters on tool life
• Tool Life Testing
Variation of tool life with cutting velocity
Variation of tool life with cutting velocity
 Taylor’s Tool Life equation
• Empirical relation connecting tool life and
cutting speed
VT  C
n

• V: cutting speed in m/min

• T: Tool life in min
• C: Taylor’s constant
• n: Taylor’s tool life exponent
• C and n are constants depending on tool-work
pair, tool shape, cutting environment, etc.
 Taylor’s Tool Life equation
• Taylor constant C = V, when T=1
• i.e., C is the cutting speed for a tool life of 1
minute
• log V + n log T = log C
Effect of feed and doc on tool life
Generalised Taylor’s Tool Life Equation

VT s t  C
n y x
In turning of a steel rod by a given cutting tool
(material and geometry) at a given machining
condition (s and t) under a given environment
(cutting fluid application), the tool life
decreases from 80 min to 20 min due to
increase in cutting velocity, V from 60 m/min
to 120 m/min.
Find out at what cutting velocity the life of
that tool under the same condition and
environment will be 40 min.?
Data pertaining to a tool wear test is presented in the
table. Determine Taylor’s tool life exponent and
Taylor’s constant
Width of wear land (mm)
Time (min) Cutting speed = 150 m/min Cutting speed = 200 m/min

0 0 0
10 0.1 0.17
20 0.14 0.27
30 0.18 0.37
40 0.22 0.47
50 0.26 0.57
60 0.30 0.72
70 0.32 0.86
 Effect of process variables on tool life

• Tool material properties

• Feed , speed, depth of cut
• Tool geometry
• Cutting fluid
• Vibration/chatter
• Interrupted cutting
• Built up edge
• Work material properties
 Tool Life Tests
• Conventional tool life test
• Accelerated tool life test
– Extrapolation based on steady state wear
– High speed tests
– Variable speed tests
 Machinability
• Machinability is the term used to denote the
ease with which a given material can be
machined under a given set of cutting
conditions.
Depends on:
• Properties and structure of work material
• Cutting conditions
 Machinability criteria

• Tool life
• Cutting power
• Surface finish
• Cutting temperature
• Physical properties like hardness, tensile
strength, etc.
 Tool life criterion
• If machining of a particular work material
results in rapid tool wear, frequent tool
changes will be required and the cost of
machining will be high
• Specific cutting speed: Cutting speed
corresponding to a pre-determined tool life
• eg. Cutting speed for 60 minutes tool life.
 Machinability rating
• Also known as relative machinability
t
V
MR  1oo%
60
s
V 60
• The standard material selected is SAE 1212 (a
Free machining steel), which is assigned a
machinability rating of 100.