Journal of Advanced Mechanical Design,

Systems, and
Manufacturing

Vol. 2, No. 4, 2008

Cutting Mechanics of Turning with Actively

Driven Rotary Tool*
Suryadiwansa HARUN**, Toshiroh SHIBASAKA**
and Toshimichi MORIWAKI***
**Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kobe University
1-1 Rokko, Nada-ku, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
E-mail: shiba@mech.kobe-u.ac.jp
***Department of Industrial and System Engineering, Setsunan University
17-8, Ikedanaka-machi, Neyagawa, Osaka 572-8508, Japan

Abstract
In this paper, turning with actively driven rotary tool method was investigated. The
main purpose of the present work is to examine influences of machining conditions
especially the tool rotational speed and direction upon the cutting force
components, the chip formation and the cutting temperature. Experimental results
show that cutting temperature decreases with an increase in the tool rotational
speed in a certain speed range. The change in tangential force against the tool
rotational speed is not so large than radial and axial force. Increase in the tool
rotation in CCW direction exited chatter due to the large radial force.
Key words: Turning with Actively Driven Rotary Tool, Cutting Force, Chip
Formation, Cutting Temperature

1. Introduction

*Received 21 Mar., 2008 (No. 08-0207)

[DOI: 10.1299/jamdsm.2.579]

The rotary cutting tool(1) has received a considerable attention from many researches
during past decades(2)-(8) due to its application in the machining process is possible to
decrease the cutting temperature as well as to increase the machining productivity. As the
cutting tool rotates and it is cooled during the non-cutting period in one rotation of the tool,
it is expected that the temperature of the tool decreases compared with conventional
turning. Several types of this method have been developed in the past, which are basically
classified into two types namely actively driven(1)-(5) and self-propelled(6)-(8) tools. In the
type of self-propelled, the tool rotational speed is depends on machining condition so that it
is extremely difficult to optimize the process. On the other hand, in the type of actively
driven, the tool rotational speed is controlled by the external power so that it can be changed
easily and elevated. Therefore, high machining productivity can be achieved.
Despite those studies have showed the driven rotary tool has a potential, it has not been
applied in real production process for several reasons: (1) By the past researchers(1)-(3), the
driven rotary tool was only developed on the conventional machine tool, which is lack in
stiffness, flexibility and productivity. (2) Machine tools were not available which could
enable programmable control of the inclination angle, the offset height, and the tool
rotational speed. (3) The state of art of cutting with driven rotary tools is still at pre-matured
stage, and it requires systematic researches to apply the technology to actual production.
Recently, the new compound multi-axis machine tool has short cycle time and higher
productivity due to faster rapid travel speed, the shorter the tool change time, the larger the
depth of cut, and the higher the cutting speed has been developed(9). Within this machine,
B-axis head is used as turning tool holder and its postures such as the inclination angle and

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the offset height, also its rotation speed and direction are controlled by the NC
programmable, thus enabling the turning with actively driven rotary tool to applied with
utilizing this machine.
Therefore, some researchers(4),(5) have been devoted to the further development of this
method in order to make it more applicable to the real production, but they only deal with
the effect of inclination angle and the cutting speed on the cutting temperature, while the
effect of the tool rotational speed on cutting temperature has not been investigated
sufficiently. In contrast to that the present work is to experimentally investigate influences
of machining condition especially the tool rotational speed and direction on the magnitude
of the cutting force components, the chip formation and the cutting temperature.

2. Experimental procedure
2.1. Experimental equipment and condition
In turning with actively driven rotary tool used in this work could enables two postures
of the tool cutting edge relative to the work. The inclination angle i of the tool holder and
offset height h (offset angle ) are defined as shown in Fig. 1. When the tool rotates from
point of large chip thickness to point of small chip thickness, the rotational direction of tool
is defined to be counterclockwise. The work velocity Vw, the tool rotational speed VT, the
feed rate f and the resultant cutting velocity of work and tool rotational speed and its incline
angle (that called as the dynamic inclination angle) are shown in Fig. 1. The increase of the
tool rotational speed can leads an increase in the dynamic inclination angle. This causes the
change of chip flow direction so that the cutting mechanics change from orthogonal to
oblique cutting.
Figure 2 shows a photograph of the experimental equipment. In order to measure the
cutting force in this equipment, an additional spindle is mounted on the table of a vertical
machining center (Hitachi Seiki VM-3) to which the workpiece is attached as shown in Fig.
2. The NT series of integrated Mill Turn machine center, Mori Seiki NT4200 DCG, as
driven rotary turning machine that applicable for industry was also utilized in order to
measure the cutting temperature.
A 16 mm diameter insert made of PVD Coated Cermet having a relief angle of 11o was
used. The work materials employed for the cutting experiment was plain carbon steel
JIS:S45C. Cutting forces were measured using the piezoelectric force transducers of the
force ring dynamometer. Cutting temperatures were measured utilizing embedded
constantan wire-work thermocouple system. The major cutting conditions are summarized
in Table 1.
A

Z
Y

Work

VT

Tool

Vw

Vw cos

id
Plan view

i
s co s
Vw c o

Tool
adapter

Vr

B axis

Vw .cos

CW

Detail A-A

Fig. 1 Principle of turning with actively driven rotary tool

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Table 1 Major cutting condition

Work material

Plain Carbon Steel (JIS:S45C)

Tool: Type
Material
Geometry

RPMT 1604 MO-BB (Kyocera)

PVD Coated Cermet
Relief angle =110, Diameter
D=16 mm

Tool rotational speed NT, min-1

Fig. 2 Photograph of experimental equipment

of the vertical machine center

0 1500

Work speed VW, m/min

100; 150; 160

Feed f, mm/rev

0.1; 0.143; 0.2

Depth of cut a, mm

0.5; 1

Inclination angle i, deg.

Offset angle , deg.

Cutting fluid

Dry

Direction of the spindle rotation

Tool spindle:
CW; CCW

2.2. Cutting force measurement

The three cutting force components of the tangential force FZ, the axial force FX and the
radial force FY were measured with the force ring dynamometer as shown in Fig. 3. The
force ring is composed of eight piezoelectric force sensors embedded in ring like frame,
which it is installed at the fixing point of the main spindle head as shown in Fig. 3.
Calibration of the dynamometer was carried out prior to the cutting tests to calibrate the
sensitivities of the dynamometer with use of the table-type dynamometer and to compensate
the cross talks of the output signals.
Figure 4 shows the flow chart of procedure to measure the cutting force. In order to
measure the cutting force with the current measuring system, the following two problems
must be solved. Firstly, error signal was arisen due to the mass inertia of the tool spindle.
The typical of error signal of three force components were identified as shown in Fig. 5,
which they are synchronized to the spindle rotation and repeatable during idle spindle
rotation. In order to compensate the error signals, the force signals are measured during idle
rotation of the spindle prior to the cutting tests, and subtracted from the cutting force
measured. Secondly, cross talk was influenced the sensed force signal component. In order
to solve this problem, the amounts of the cross talks are identified by the calibration and the
three force components FX, FY and FZ are estimated by the corresponding three force signals
measured, or Vx, Vy and Vz based on the following Eq. (1).

FX 0.094 - 0.045 - 0.0035 Vx

FY = - 0.060 - 0.079 - 0.005 V y
F - 0.003 - 0.015 0.107
Vz
Z
where Coefficients unit is in N/mV.

(1)

The force ring

dynamometer

Fig. 3 Built-in type cutting force sensor

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Tangential force signals Vz,(V) Radial force signals Vy , (V) Axial force signals Vx,,(V)

Vol. 2, No. 4, 2008

Encoder signal

1.8
1.5

Start

1.2 One rotation

0.9

of the tool

Force signal during cutting

0.6

Input : original cutting force

signals in X, Y and Z direction

0.3
0

-0.3 Force signal during idle spindle rotation

Take force signals

before cutting for
several rotations of tool

Take force signals

during cutting for
several rotations of tool

Take differences of force signals

before and during cutting

Compensate cross talk by equation:

Fx 0.094 - 0.045 - 0.0035 V x

F y = - 0.060 - 0.079 - 0.005 V y

Fz - 0.003 - 0.0147 0.107 V z
Coefficient`s unit: N/mV

1.8 One rotation Encoder signal

1.5 of tool
0.9
0.6
0.3
0

-0.3

Force signal during idle spindle rotation

One rotation
Encoder signal
1.8 of tool
Force signal during cutting
1.5
1.2
0.9
0.6
0.3
0

-0.3

Actual cutting force in X, Y and Z direction

Force signal during cutting

1.2

Force signal during idle spindle rotation

720

1440

2160

2880

Tool rotation angle (deg.)

3600

Fig. 5 Three force components sensed

Fig. 4 Flow chart of procedure to

during cutting and idle rotation of

measure cutting force

spindle at 300 rpm

2.3. Cutting temperature measurement

A constantan wire was embedded in the workpiece as shown in Fig. 6. To embed the
constantan wire into a workpiece, the workpiece must be cut sliced into two parts, and then
a V slot was machined parallel to the central axis of one of parts. The principle of this
method is that when the workpiece is cut by the cutting edge, the wire is also machined, and
a thermoelectric junction (emf) is formed between the constantan wire and the workpiece at
contact area. The work and constantan wire must be electrically isolated from machine tool
with using a ceramic coating. To record cutting temperature signals at contact area between
the workpiece and tool, the constantan wire and the workpiece wire were connected to a slip
ring through a hole at center of the work spindle and then they were connected to an
oscilloscope. High sampling frequency of 500kHz was used. By calibration test of the
wire-work thermocouple, the correlation between the temperature and the emf generated at
the contact area between the constantan wire and the tool was obtained as shown in Eq. (2).

V = 0.0562T

(2)

where V is the output voltage in mV, and T is temperature in oC.

An example of the raw data of output signals detected by embedded constantan
wire-work thermocouple technique is shown in Fig. 7. This output signal was obtained
periodically that the interval between each signal is equal to frequency in which the cutting
edge touches the constantan wire inside the workpiece each one revolution of work. As the
output signal was detected during uncutting period, it is seemed that the constantan wire
was contacted to the workpiece after the cutting. The temperature increases when the
cutting edge near to the constantan wire and continues to increase to its peak of

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Fig. 6 Cutting temperature experimental set-up

mV
signal, mV
Cutting
Cutting temperature
temperature signals,

20

Ambient temperature

10
0

-10
-20
-30

Cooling time
of workpiece

-40 Signal

detected

-50
356.8

356.9

357

388387.9
Time, ms

357.1

V w=150m/min;
V T=25m/min;
f=0.2mm/rev; a=1mm;
i=0deg.; =0deg.

388

388.1

388.2

Fig. 7 Sample of signal detected during driven rotary tool turning

approximately 500oC (28mV) when the cutting edge cuts the constantan wire in
approximately 40s of time (NW=500rpm). In view of that, it is great clearly that by using
this thermocouple technique, the high local temperature at contact area between the cutting
edge and the workpiece can measured accurately.
In addition, another important parameter is the cooling time of workpiece as shown in
Fig. 7, which is defined as amount of time that needed when the high temperature at the
contact point area at the workpiece surface gradually reduced to the ambient temperature of
approximately 25oC (1.4mV) due to heat dissipated into workpiece and heat loses by
convection and radiation.

3. Result and discussion

Figure 8 shows the effect of the tool rotational speed on cutting forces when the tool
was rotated in both the clockwise (CW) and the counterclockwise (CCW) directions. The
tangential and radial forces decrease with increasing the tool rotational speed in a speed
range from 60m/min (CCW) to 45m/min (CW). However, the change of tangential force
against the tool rotational speed is not so large as the change in radial force. The axial force
increases with an increase in clockwise tool rotational speed. When the tool is rotated in
CW direction, the tangential velocity of the tool has the same direction with feed direction.

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That results in large axial direction velocity, which is the sum of the tangential velocity of
tool and feed speed. This factor increases the axial force component with an increase in the
tool rotational speed. As consequently of magnitude all cutting force component, the
resultant cutting force decreases with an increase of tool rotational speed. The change of
resultant cutting force against the tool rotational speed is also not so large in experimental
range of the tool rotational speed.
However, the chip surface that produced during machining for both tool rotational
direction of CCW and CW is rather different as shown in Fig. 9. The chatter mark was
observed on the chip surface during machining with tool rotational direction of CCW, while
the smooth chips surface was observed when the tool rotated in the opposite direction. It
was seemed that the unstable cutting or chatter occurred during machining with tool
rotational directions of CCW due to the large radial force.
Figure 10 shows the photograph of chips obtained during machining with various tool
rotational speeds. With the increase of tool rotational speed, the helix angle of chips was
increased, then it seems that the chip flow becomes smooth, also its flow direction was
changed. This indicates the cutting mechanics change from the orthogonal to the oblique
cutting. This leads to an increase in the effective rake and shear angle. It is understood that
the increase of these angles cause the decrease of the cutting force with an increase in the
tool rotational speed.
In addition, the chips formed at the non rotating tool are colored in the dark-bluish that
caused by oxidation, also the dark-bluish of chip color was obtained for case of a tool
rotational speed of 25 m/min, but its color did not dominant in bluish. This means that those
chips were formed at higher temperature as compared with those formed at the tool
rotational speed of 50 and 75 m/min, which are colored in brownish-purple.
200
175

Cutting force components (N)

-60

VW =160m/min; f=0.1mm/rev;
V=160m/min; f=0.1mm/rev
a=0.5mm; i=0deg.; =0deg.
Axial force
Radial force
Tangential force
Resultant cutting force

150
125
100

f=0.143mm/rev
VV=100m/min;
W =100m/min; f=0.143mm/rev;
a=0.5mm; i=0deg.; =0deg.
Axial force
Radial force
Tangential force
Resultant cutting force

75
50
25
-45

-30

-15

0
0

T ool rotational direction: C CW

15

30

45

60

75

90

T ool rotational direction: C W

Tool rotational speed V T , m/min

Fig. 8 Average force components plotted against tool rotational speed

Fig. 9 Photographs of chip obtained when different tool rotational direction.

(Cutting conditions: Vw=160m/min; f=0.1mm/rev; a=0.5mm; i=0deg.; =0deg.)

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V T = 0 m/min
V T = 25 m/min
V T = 50 m/min
Helix angle

V T = 75 m/min

Fig. 10 Photographs of chips obtained during machining with various tool rotational
speed (cutting conditions: VW=150m/min; f=0.2mm/rev; a=1mm; i=0deg. =0deg.;
Tool rotation direction=CW)

40
(712)

Cooling time
40
Cutting temperatures

30
(534)

30

20
(356)

20

VW = 150 m/min
f = 0.2mm/rev
i VW== 0150m/min;
deg.
10 f = 0.2 mm/rev
i = 0deg.; = 0deg.
(178) aa ==1mm;
1 mm
o
rotation
OTool
= 0 deg. direction: CW
0
0
20
40
60
Tool
speed
Tool rotation
rotational
speedVVT T,, m/min
m/min

Cooling time, ms

Cutting
peraturesignal,
signal,mV
mV(0(oC)
C)
Cutting Tem
temperature

Figure 11 shows the effect of the tool rotational speed on the cutting temperature signal
and cooling time under a fixed cutting speed of 150 m/min. It can be seen from this figure
that tool rotational speed has a significant effect on the cutting temperature. The cutting
temperature decreases with increasing tool rotational speed in a speed range from 0 to 75
m/min. It is seemed that the decrease of the cutting force leads a decrease in the cutting
energy, and then resulting a decrease in the cutting temperature.
In addition, when the tool rotational speed increases, the cooling time became short
because of the fall of the cutting temperature. To understand the characteristic of cooling
abilities of driven rotary tool, definition of the cooling time is determined as described in
the sub section 2.3. However, it was assumed that the effect of cooling at the ambient
temperature is the same to both the tool and the workpiece. In case of the tool rotational
speed of 75 m/min (1500 rpm), the tool cutting edge needs time of 40 ms for entering to
cutting zone. As compared with the cooling time of 23 ms at this condition as shown in Fig.
11, it is seemed that the cutting edge was cooled down before entering the cutting zone.
However, if the tool rotational speed is higher than 75 m/min, the cutting temperature of
cutting edge may be continue to rise due to the heat accumulation. This means that the
cooling of the tool edge includes the upper limit.

10

80

Fig. 11 Effect of tool rotational speed on cutting temperature

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4. Conclusions

Vol. 2, No. 4, 2008

Turning with actively driven rotary tool method with programmable control the tool
rotational speed was carried out. The influence of machining conditions especially the tool
rotational speed and direction upon the cutting force and temperature was experimentally
examined. Major experimental conclusions are as follows:
1. The change in tangential and resultant cutting force against the tool rotational speed is
not so large as compared with that of radial and axial force.
2. The radial forces decreases with an increase in tool rotational speed, while the axial
force increases with an increase in tool rotational speed.
3. Chatter marks were observed when the tool rotational speed with tool rotational
direction of CCW increased.
4. The cutting temperature decreases with the increase of tool rotation speed in a certain
speed range.

Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the support of Mori Seiki, Ltd., for providing the machine
center include with the slip ring that used in this experiment. Also, we express our thanks to
K. Okura and M. Hideta of Mori Seiki Company and our university student N. Eda and Y.
Matano for their contribution in this experiment.

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