International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 68 (2013) 110

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International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijmactool

Correlating surface roughness, tool wear and tool vibration in the milling
process of hardened steel using long slender tools
Marcelo Mendes de Aguiar, Anselmo Eduardo Diniz n, Robson Pederiva
~ Paulo 13083-860, Brazil
Faculdade de Engenharia Mec
anica, CP 6122, Campinas, Sao

a r t i c l e i n f o

abstract

Article history:
Received 5 November 2012
Received in revised form
14 January 2013
Accepted 15 January 2013
Available online 31 January 2013

High speed milling is an operation frequently used in nishing and semi-nishing of dies and molds.
However, when it is necessary to produce molds with deep cavities and/or with small corner radius,
long tools with small diameters are required. This represents a challenge for manufacturing professionals: how to minimize tool vibration using a tool with such low rigidity and obtain good workpiece
surface quality and long tool lives. This paper attempts to answer this question. Milling experiments on
hardened AISI H13 steel were carried out using integral and indexable insert tools with different tool
overhangs and different diameters. Tool wear, workpiece surface roughness and cutting forces were
measured and these parameters were correlated with the frequency response function (FRF) obtained
with the tools xed in the machine tool. The main conclusion of this study is that good workpiece
surface roughness allied to long tool lives for long tools with small diameters can be achieved, provided
the tooth passing frequency used in the milling process (and its harmonics) does not produce high FRF
values.
& 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords:
Tool vibration
Tool wear
Surface roughness
High speed milling

1. Introduction
Cutting forces directly inuence the workpiece precision and
surface quality, the system vibration, cutting power and tool life [1].
These forces are inuenced by several factors, such as tool
geometry, properties of the workpiece material, cutting conditions,
cutting strategy, etc. [2,3].
Using a mathematical model, Dagiloke et al. [4] demonstrated
that a cutting speed of up to 1200 m/min does not inuence
cutting forces. On the other hand, Schulz and Moriwaki [5] stated
that the force decreases as cutting speed increases. According to
Flom and Komanduri [6], cutting forces decrease with increasing
cutting speed up to a certain limit. Beyond this point, these forces
gradually increase.
Cutting forces cause deections in the tool/workpiece/tool
xation/machine system [7], which cause signicant geometrical
errors in the machined workpiece [8]. These errors are particularly important when a high tool length/diameter ratio (L/D) is
used, when the inclination of the machined surface is high and
when tool wear is signicant [9].
Deections must be controlled mainly in nishing operations,
since they impair surface quality and tool life [10]. Kecelj et al.
[11] conducted milling experiments using ball nose mills with an
L/D ratio of 7 and 10. Their results indicated that tool deection is
higher when the angle between the machined surface and the
n

Corresponding author. Tel.: 55 19 35213303; fax: 55 19 32893722.

E-mail address: anselmo@fem.unicamp.br (A.E. Diniz).

0890-6955/$ - see front matter & 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmachtools.2013.01.002

horizontal is small, which is caused by the difcult conditions of

chip formation in the tools central region. This occurs particularly
when low values of depth of cut (ap) are used. These ndings
agree with those of Lopez de Lacalle et al. [9,12], who found the
highest errors in surfaces with inclinations of less than 151. The
authors attributed these results to the slipping effect of small
chips and to cutting distortion when the central portion of the
tool is engaged in cutting. However, Oliveira [13] reported a
different nding, claiming that the tool which cut a surface with a
751 angle in relation to the horizontal line (tool in the vertical
position) presented higher deection than the tool that cut a 451
surface, due to the higher radial force of the cut at 751.
A well known model for studying tool deection is the one that
considers the tool xed in the chuck as an overhanging cylinder
[14]. This model does not include dynamic considerations, but it
can make coherent predictions, since in nish operations, in
which the depths of cut are small, the process is close to stability
[12] and tool behavior is quasi-static [15]. According to Xu et al.
[16], under stable cutting conditions, static tool deection is more
signicant than dynamic deection.
Static tool deection (d) is calculated by Eq. (1) (considering
the tool a cylinder), where F is the cutting force perpendicular
to the tool axis, E is the Young modulus of the tools material, and
L3/D4 is the tools slenderness coefcient (TSC) [9].

 3!
64F
L
3pE
D4

M.M. de Aguiar et al. / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 68 (2013) 110

The machine tool, cutting tool, workpiece and xation devices

form a complex system of structural elements. During cutting, a
large portion of energy is dissipated through these elements, also
inducing vibration [17].
Vibration may reach unacceptable levels, particularly when
there is an inherent lack of rigidity in the system, as in the milling
of dies and molds, which frequently requires the use of long tools
to machine deep cavities [18]. Therefore, vibration must be
minimized due to its harmful inuence on the dimensional
quality and surface texture of the workpiece, on the acceleration
of tool wear/damage and on the increased probability of tool
breakage [17,19].
The main types of vibration involved in die and mold milling
using high speed machining (HSM) are forced and self-excited
vibrations [13].
Forced vibrations are those caused by external forces. They
occur in all types of machining operations, but are especially
critical in nishing operations, where shape errors and high
values of surface roughness are unacceptable. They are even more
harmful when the excitation frequency is close to either the
natural system frequencies or to one of their harmonics, as they
make the cutting unstable [17].
Self-excited vibrations are not caused by external forces, but
by forces generated by cutting the material [20]. These vibrations
occur when the damping capacity of the toolworkpiecemachine
system is insufcient to absorb the energy transmitted by the
cutting [17], generating a self-exciting mechanism during
machining which causes continuous variations in chip thickness.
Initially, one of the structural elements is excited by cutting forces
and a wavy surface generated by the cut produced by one edge is
removed by the next edge, which also leaves a wavy surface due
to structural vibrations [21]. When a phase discrepancy occurs
between the vibration waves left by the cutting edges on the
surface, it produces a regenerative effect that generates even
more vibration [21]. This phenomenon is known as chatter. This
is the most harmful type of vibration in HSM machining processes
[17,22].
Vibration can also be controlled by the use of a more rigid tool and
tool xation. Oliveira [13] studied the inuence of two grades of tool
material and two types of tool shank (carbide and steel) on tool wear,
tool life and workpiece surface roughness life in hardened steel
milling. The carbide shank produced better results than the steel
shank. This nding was attributed to the higher rigidity of the carbide
shank, which decreased its tendency to vibrate.
Several authors [20,23,24] argue that to prevent chatter and
achieve good workpiece surface quality, the frequency of the
cutting edge entering the cut during each rotation of the tool
(tooth passing frequency) must differ from the natural and
harmonic frequencies. The natural frequency is inuenced, among
other factors, by the tool overhang (tool length/tool diameter
ratio), density and Youngs modulus of the tool and tool shank
materials [20,25].
One of the main goals in nishing operations is to achieve a
very low workpiece surface roughness [26]. However, surface
irregularities, which are always present in all machined parts,
depend on several factors. In milling operations, surface quality
improves at higher cutting speeds. Depth of cut indirectly affects
surface quality, since the cutting force, vibration and cutting
temperature increase with an increase in the depth of cut. Other
factors that inuence surface roughness are feed, tool nose radius,
tool wear, cutting strategy, the tools trajectory during cutting,
workpiece material, cooling/lubrication system and the dynamic
parameters of machining, such as cutting force, tool deection,
vibration and several thermal phenomena [17,2729].
The use of high cutting speeds and small tool diameters, due to
the small radius of the tool used in cutting dies and molds makes

it mandatory to apply very high tool rotation speeds in high speed

milling nishing operations. Therefore, the feed velocity is high,
even when low feed rates are used, which allows for a high
number of tool passes (with low radial and axial increments)
without increasing the cutting time. As a result, good levels of
surface nish are usual in these processes [9,3032].
In the milling of inclined at surfaces with either toroidal or
ball nose tools, the theoretical surface roughness can be determined in both the transverse and longitudinal directions in
relation to the feed direction. The theoretical roughness perpendicular to the feed direction (RthTRANS) is determined by the
combination of tool radius (R), axial increment (ap) and inclination angle of the surface (a), according to Eq. (2) [13,30].
s
 a 2
2R2  senpa
2
RthTRANS R
4
In the feed direction, the maximum theoretical roughness
(RthLONG) is given by Eq. (3), where fz is the feed per tooth and
REF is the effective radius of the tool measured at the point where
the tool touches the workpiece. REF is related to the surface
inclination, since the higher the angle of inclination the higher
the effective radius [13].
RthLONG

f z 2
8nREF

However, real roughness values usually differ from theoretical

ones [28,29]. Axinte and Dewes [33] observed high values of
surface roughness generated in a high speed milling operation,
which they attributed to tool run-out at high cutting speed, allied
to the vibrational effect of high cutting forces. According to

Fallbohmer
and Scurlock [34], cutting with a tool with a small
level of wear may generate lower roughness than cutting with a
fresh tool. Diniz et al. [35] found similar results in the milling of
H13 steel with a toroidal tool in semi-nishing conditions.
A possible explanation for these results is that roughness values
may be associated with tool coating defects on the cutting edge,
as cited by Oliveira [13], which affect roughness at the beginning
of tool life. Depending on the type of wear and its evolution, these
defects may spread along the entire length of the cutting edge in
contact with the workpiece, making it more uniform and thereby
improving the surface roughness value.
The objective of the experiments shown in this work is to nd
how to minimize tool vibration using long slender tools and
obtain good workpiece surface quality and long tool lives. Therefore, milling experiments using integral carbide and indexable
carbide end mill with high tool overhang are described below.

2. Methods, equipments and materials

Several experiments involving nishing operations using the
high speed milling technique were performed to determine the
inuence of tool diameter, tool slenderness coefcient (L3/D4,
where L is tool overhang and D is tool diameter) and type of tool
(integral carbide end mill and indexable carbide tool with a carbide
tool shank) on tool wear and workpiece surface roughness.
The machine tool used in the experiments was a 5-axis
machining center with 15 kW of power in the main motor, tool
rotation between 35 and 25,000 rpm and HSK 63 A system for
tool xation.
The workpieces used in the experiments were made of AISI
H13 steel, quenched and tempered to reach 50 HRC of hardness.
Four ball nose end mill tools were used, two integral and two
indexable carbide inserts with carbide tool shanks. The cemented
carbide inserts had a 3 to 4 mm thick PVD coating of TiAlN.
The rst was an 8 mm tool with insert code KDMB08M0ERGN

M.M. de Aguiar et al. / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 68 (2013) 110

grade KC515M, which, according to the manufacturers catalog, is

employed in machining steel (class P) and hardened steel (class H)
with hardness up to 54 HRc with geometry suitable for nishing
operations, xed in a tool shank code KDMB08R150A08HN. The
second tool was a 12 mm tool with insert code KDMB12M0ERGN,
with the same characteristics as the 8 mm diameter inserts, xed in
a tool shank code KDMB12R160A12HNC. Both tools were xed in
the chuck by cold deformation. The integral carbide end mills had
8 and 12 mm diameters, both PVD coated with TiAlN. The two types
of tools (insert and integral) had similar cemented carbide grades
and their tool radial run-out in all the experiments was lower than
10 mm.
Due to the tools high wear resistance, it was impossible to
reach tool wear values that would congure the end of tool life,
even after a long cutting time and using a very high cutting speed.
Therefore, the experiments ended upon reaching 400 min of
cutting time. Even after such a lengthy cutting time, tool ank
wear was less than 0.10 mm. The tool ank wear was measured
using an optical microscope with 50  magnication.
The cutting speed (vc) and the angle between the milled
surface and the machine tools XY plane (a) were kept constant
during all experiments (vc 500 m/min and a 751).
The input variables of the experiments were tool diameter (D),
tool slenderness coefcient (called TSC in this paper) and type of
tool (integral and indexable inserts and ball nose end mills), all of
them with two levels, which would result in a 23 factorial
experimental design. In preliminary experiments, the condition
with the indexable insert carbide tool with D 8 mm and
TSC45 mm  1 presented very high roughness values from the
beginning of the experiments (Rz 9.11 and 3.96 mm measured
transverse and longitudinal to the feed directions, respectively).
Therefore, the use of TSC45 for the indexable insert tools was
discarded, resulting in a nal incomplete 23 factorial experimental design. The experimental conditions employed here are
described in Table 1. Each experiment was performed twice.
All the tools used in the experiments were extremely sharp
and had a very small cutting edge radius, but larger than the chip
thicknesses. The integral carbide end mills presented a more
positive rake angle than the indexable carbide insert tools.
Moreover, all the tools used in the tests were subjected to
vibrational analysis in order to identify the frequency response
function (FRF) of each set, and thus, to determine the natural
frequency of each system. This procedure was performed on the
tools mounted on the spindle using an instrumented impact
hammer. The curves of the natural frequency of each set are
shown in the graphs in Fig. 1. It can be seen in this gure the
strong inuence of both, the tool diameter and the TSC, on the
natural frequencies of the several tool sets tested. For a constant
tool diameter, when TSC increased, the natural frequency
decreased. The same occurred for the tool diameter when TSC
was kept constant. The reason for these occurrences was the

Table 1
Conditions employed in the experiments.
Experiment vc
[m/min]

Rth
ana
Tool
[degree] [lm] [mm]

D
TSC
[mm] [mm  1]

1
2
3
4
5
6

75

8.0
12.0
8.0
12.0
8.0
12.0

500

0.20

0.10

Integral

Indexable
insert

20
20
45
45
20
20

a
an is the thickness of the material removed perpendicular to the machined
surface.

correlation among these parameters and the rigidity and mass of

the vibratory system formed by the tool and its xation in the
machine tool. It can be also seen that when the kind of tool
(integral or insert) was changed, the variations in the characteristic frequencies of the system were not high. The vertical lines in
the gure, which represent the tooth passing frequencies (TPF)
(calculated from the cutting speed, tool diameter and number of
teeth) and their harmonics, indicate the fundamental excitation
frequencies and show how distant they are from the natural
frequency of the tool and tool xation system.
The surface roughness produced in the experiments, which
was measured in the feed direction and perpendicularly to the
feed direction using Rz parameters, was associated with the
theoretical roughness values (RthEqs. (2) and (3)) because this
roughness parameter is sensitive to the presence of high peaks
and valleys on the surface [17,36]. The ap was dened using
Eq. (2) and fz using Eq. 3. RthTRANS (Eq. (2)) and RthLONG (Eq. (3))
were xed at the same value, 0.2 mm. Using these Equations, and
in order to obtain Rth0.20 mm in both directions, the values of
ap and fz used here were 0.077 and 0.079 mm, respectively, for the
tools with D 8 mm, and 0.095 and 0.096 mm for the tools with
D 12 mm. These values are close to those recommended by the
tool supplier, which suggests depth of cut values of around 0.01D
for nishing operations [37] and also close to the value used by
Klocke et al. [38].
The cutting forces (XZ directions) were measured at the
beginning of the experiments (fresh tool) and after the tool had
been cutting for 400 min. These measurements were taken with a
Kistler 9257B dynamometer connected to a Kistler 5019B signal
conditioner and an A/D board to sample the signals entering the
computer. For a tilt angle of 751, Lopez et al. [39] proposed the use
of a sampling frequency of 44 kHz for a tool rotation of
10,000 rpm, and 110 kHz for 25,000 rpm. Therefore, in this work,
a sampling frequency of 75 kHz was used to acquire signals in all
the experiments, since TPF were 684.7 and 456.7 Hz (or tool
rotations of 20,542 and 13,701 rpm) for 8 and 12 mm tools,
respectively.
Surface roughness values were measured using a portable roughness meter connected to a computer, so as not to have only the
roughness values, but also their proles. They were measured at the
beginning of the experiments, and after 25 and 50 min of cutting.
After, roughness measurements were taken at 50-min intervals
during cutting. At these precise moments, three surface roughness
measurements were taken in the directions parallel and perpendicular to the feed direction. The values shown in the gures of the next
item represent the average of three measurements.

3. Results and discussion

Fig. 2 shows the average roughness values over the 400 min of
machining, obtained from two replicates of the experiments; the
dispersion lines represent a standard deviation of 71 (in each
replicate, roughness was measured three times in each direction).
The values of transverse surface roughness (perpendicular to
the feed direction) were more sensitive to differences in the input
parameters than the longitudinal roughness proles. This is due
to the greater differences among the roughness curves in each of
the experiments. Except for the curve of experiment 3, the curves
of longitudinal roughness are very similar to each other. The
results also show that, over the 400 min evaluated, the transverse
surface roughness tended to be higher than in the direction
longitudinal to the feed direction.
The mean roughness produced by using 12 mm diameter end
mills showed no signicant variations, regardless of the TSC value
used in the experiments. The lengths in balance (Lt) were 78.25

M.M. de Aguiar et al. / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 68 (2013) 110

500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0

INTEGRAL D=8,00 TSC=20

X
Y
TPF and harmonics

m/s2/Newton

500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0

500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0

INTEGRAL D=8,00 TSC=45

X
Y
TPF and harmonics

500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0

INSERT D=8,00 TSC=20

X
Y
TPF and harmonics

Hertz

INTEGRAL D=12,00 TSC=20

X
Y
TPF and harmonics

Hertz

m/s2/Newton

m/s2/Newton

Hertz
500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0

X
Y
TPF and harmonics

Hertz

m/s2/Newton

m/s2/Newton

Hertz

INTEGRAL D=12,00 TSC=45

500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0

INSERT D=12,00 TSC=20

X
Y
TPF and harmonics

Hertz

Fig. 1. FRF curves of tool/tool-shank/machine system in each experimental condition.

and 101.40 mm for TSC20 and 45 mm  1, respectively. This fact

demonstrates the possibility of using end mills of this diameter
with lengths in balance for machining deep areas without
impairing the surface quality either at the beginning of tool life
or after 400 min of milling.
The tool diameter does not affect the results when TSC20 is
used, since low values of surface roughness were obtained with
both tool diameters, particularly in the direction longitudinal to
the feed, with values less than 1.00 mm (Rz).
Most of the tested conditions resulted in low roughness values.
An analysis of Fig. 2 indicates that minor variations in roughness,
as well as slight standard deviations occurred during the 400 min
of the experiments. Therefore, it can be stated that the low tool
wear (the tool wear behavior will be analyzed later in this paper)
did not affect surface roughness. Moreover, an analysis of the
evolution of the roughness curves in experiments 1 and 4 reveals

that the values were lower in both directions when the tool had
already been in operation for 400 min. In experiment 1, the
surface roughness transverse and longitudinal to the feed direction began with 1.49 and 0.89 mm Rz, respectively, and after
400 min showed values of 1.45 and 0.69 mm Rz. In experiment 4,
the surface roughness started at 2.14 and 0.73 mm Rz and ended
after 400 min of cutting with values of 1.96 and 0.63 mm Rz. These
decreases, albeit slight, demonstrate that, especially under these
conditions, the tools could be used for much longer periods and
still maintain the quality of the machined surfaces.
In contrast to a majority of the experiments, in experiment 3,
the use of the integral end mill with 8 mm diameter and TSC 45
resulted in high roughness values with the fresh tool, showing an
average Rz of 3.14 mm transverse to the feed direction and of
1.94 mm in the longitudinal direction, obtained at the beginning
of the experiment. During machining, the surface roughness

M.M. de Aguiar et al. / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 68 (2013) 110

120

INTEGRAL D=8,00 TSC=20

9.00

INTEGRAL D=12,00 TSC=20

8.00

INTEGRAL D=8,00 TSC=45

INTEGRAL D=12,00 TSC=45

7.00

INSERT D=8,00 TSC=20

INSERT D12,00 TSC=20

6.00
5.00

100

Flank wear [m]

Rz Transversal [m]

10.00

80
60
40

88

74

71

67

4.00

62

48

20
0

3.00

D=8,00

D=12,00

D=8,00

D=12,00

D=8,00

D=12,00

2.00
TSC=20

1.00

INTEGRAL

0.00
0

25

50

100 150 200 250 300 350 400

Machining time [min]

10.00

INTEGRAL D=8,00 TSC=20

9.00

INTEGRAL D=12,00 TSC=20

INTEGRAL D=8,00 TSC=45

8.00

Rz Longitudinal [m]

TSC=45

INTEGRAL D=12,00 TSC=45

7.00

INSERT D=8,00 TSC=20

INSERT D12,00 TSC=20

6.00
5.00
4.00
3.00
2.00
1.00
0.00
0

25

50

100 150 200 250 300 350 400

Machining time [min]

Fig. 2. Roughness, Rz, values obtained in the experiments.

values increased further and visible vibration marks appeared on

the machined surface. The low surface quality generated by
machining in this experiment is evident when observing the
curve of increasing surface roughness and also the high standard
deviations, which indicate signicant variations in surface roughness. Thus, the conditions used in experiment 3 would not comply
with the quality requirements for surface machining of dies and
molds, and several analyses were conducted to investigate the
causes of this substantial increase in roughness in this experiment, which will be discussed later.
Tool wear may strongly affect the quality of machined surfaces. Thus, the wear (VBB max) of the tools used in the experiment
was measured at two cutting edges of each of the tools used in
two replicates after 400 min of cutting, and the results are shown
in Fig. 3. These values represent the average wear of the four
edges (two edges of each tool, in two replicates of each experiment). The dispersion lines represent a standard deviation of 71.
Based on Fig. 3, it can be stated that all the tools showed lower
ank wear, including the tool used in experiment 3, than that
obtained in other experiments.
The shape of the edge wear can inuence surface roughness
since this shape is transferred to the machined surface during
the cutting process. This inuence is greater perpendicularly to

TSC=20
INDEXABLE
INSERT

Fig. 3. Flank wear presented by ball nose end mills after 400 min of cutting.

the feed direction since, in the longitudinal direction, the direction of measurement of the roughness prole and the tools
rotation attenuate this effect. Fig. 4 shows the edge radius of
the tools used in the experiments, enabling the identication of
the shape of the worn edge after 400 min of use. Here, each tool is
represented by the edge showing the highest wear in each
replicate.
The images indicate that only the edge of the tool used in
replicate 1 of experiment 1 was slightly altered from its original
prole. This may have inuenced the formation of the surface
prole, especially in the direction transverse to the feed. Moreover, the two tools used in this experiment showed delamination
of the coating, exposing the substrate. This occurred at one of the
two edges of each tool. The tool used in replicate 1 of experiment
4 showed a slight change from its original shape and minor
successive chipping across the rake surface, which could have a
negative effect on roughness. However, this was not conrmed by
the roughness curve in Fig. 2.
The other tools exhibited essentially uniform ank wear,
including the tools used in experiment 3, particularly when
compared with the wear obtained in other experiments. Therefore, the wear shape analysis also does not explain the signicant
increase in roughness occurred in experiment 3 during the
400 min of milling shown in Fig. 2.
Another analysis to explain this high surface roughness obtained in experiment 3 was to verify the cutting forces,
since they may also inuence the quality of machined surfaces.
The three orthogonal components (XZ) of the cutting forces were
measured in all the evaluated conditions. Toh [2] states that the
component transverse to the feed direction (Fy in this work) is
more sensitive to the detection of regenerative vibration, due to
the reduced damping ratio, other than the other two axes. Therefore, the average peak values of the Fy component were considered
in this analysis, as indicated in Fig. 5
According to this gure, in each case, the Fy values were higher
after 400 min than at the beginning of the experiments. Only in
experiment 5, after the tool had already been cutting for 400 min,
was the value very similar to that obtained when machining with
the fresh tool. It is not clear whether the Fy value in experiment
3 differed from the values recorded in other experiments.
A comparison of the raw signal of Fy from all the experiments
revealed that the behavior of the curve obtained in experiment
3 was different, as depicted in Fig. 6, which indicates a typical
sample of Fy for the other experiments (Fig. 6a) and a typical
sample of Fy for experiment 3 (Fig. 6b).

1
2
3

100 m

4
5

Diameter
8
12

100 m

100 m

20

100 m

Replica 2

12

Replica 1

TSC

Experiments

M.M. de Aguiar et al. / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 68 (2013) 110

Kind

Integral

100 m

100 m

100 m

100 m

100 m

100 m

100 m

20
12

Insert

45

100 m

Fig. 4. Microscopic images of wear on the ball nose end mills used in the experiments.

140
New
120

400 minutes

Fy [N]

100
80
60
40

71.7

84.5

75.1

85.8

98.0
74.1

88.4
70.3

78.1 79.7

88.2
68.5

20
0
Experiment 1 Experiment 2 Experiment 3 Experiment 4 Experiment 5 Experiment 6
D=8,00

D=12,00

D=8,00

TSC=20

D=12,00

TSC=45
INTEGRAL

D=8,00

D=12,00

TSC=20
INDEXABLE INSERT

Fig. 5. Fy in the experiments.

During stable cutting, the signal is periodic with two peaks of

different amplitudes at each rotation of the tool, which demonstrate radial run-out between the two edges of the tool. In other
words, Fig. 6a shows that, due to the radial run-out of the tool,
one cutting edge cuts more material than the other. However,
a comparison of the forces obtained in different tool rotations
shows stability. Due to the small chip cross section area, a small
tool radial run-out caused by imperfections either of the tool or
of the tool xation and also caused by the tool deection
generated by cutting forces, made the actual chip cross section

and, consequently, the cutting force to vary in each tool revolution, as it is seen in Fig. 6a. However, this tool run-out, as can be
seen in Figs. 2 and 3, was neither able to damage surface
roughness, nor stimulate ank wear. On the other hand, in
experiment 3, the signal of the Y component of the cutting forces
(Fig. 6b) shows different amplitudes not only in a single tool
rotation but also when different rotations are compared. The
vibration that caused this cutting force behavior also caused the
highest roughness values obtained in experiment 3, which are
illustrated in Fig. 2.
In order to have a better visualization of the differences
between stable and unstable conditions, Fig. 7 was built. It shows
Fy peak values at the beginning and end of the experiments, using
polar coordinates during 30 tool rotations. As the instability of the
process increases, the difference between the shape of its polar
coordinate graphic and a perfect circle also increases. Because this
graphic shows the force against tool rotation and not against
cutting time like in Fig. 6, it makes easier for the reader to
understand the force variation along the rotations. The difference
between two successive points depicts the tools radial run-out.
The curves obtained in most of the experiments are symmetrical to a circle passing through the average values of the peaks.
Moreover, the peak forces obtained with the fresh tool show
lower values than the same tool after 400 min of cutting. In
experiment 5, this difference is practically nonexistent.
Tool wear not was responsible for increasing the roughness
values in the experiments since the ank wear values (Fig. 3)
were very low and the tool nose shapes (Fig. 4) were close to the

M.M. de Aguiar et al. / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 68 (2013) 110

150

20 rotations
130

1 rotation
Fy [N]

110
90
70
50
30
0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

4000

5000

150

20 rotations
130

1 rotation
Fy [N]

110
90
70
50
30
0

1000

2000

3000

Fig. 6. Acquisition signals: (a) Stable condition (experiment 1), (b) Unstable condition (experiment 3).

original ones after 400 min of cutting. However, even low wear
values led to higher tool run-out values, as can be seen in Fig. 7.
This gure shows that the difference between cutting forces at
each rotation of the tool (Fy at a given point minus Fy at the next
point) were higher when tool had already cut during 400 min.
In experiment 3, instability of the cutting process is clear, since
there is a signicant dispersion of the peak forces in both
moments, at the beginning (fresh tool) and mainly at the end of
the experiment. The points form a polygon very distant from a
circle, and this distance is even greater in the curve obtained from
the tool after 400 min of cutting. This indicates that instability
occurred in this process from the beginning of the experiments
(fresh tool) and was enhanced by the low tool ank wear after
400 min of cutting.
All the auxiliary data for this analysis leads to the conclusion
that only the vibration of the cutting process in experiment
3 affected the roughness results, since the other analyzed factors
Fy and tool wear were at levels similar to those obtained in
other experiments. Polli [20] stated that high amplitude vibrations occur when the harmonics of the TPF approach the systems
natural frequency. This fact may also explain this result since the
highest peak in the FRF curve of the tool used in experiment 3 was
1369 Hz, which is the second harmonic of TPF (see Fig. 1).
Fig. 8 shows the FRF values of each tool obtained at a frequency
equal to twice the TPF (FRF in the second harmonic of the tools
natural frequency). These values were obtained from Fig. 1 and are
related to the value shown on the curves where the second vertical
green line (twice the TPF) crosses the FRF curve.
The energy values were low in most of the experiments. Again,
the exception was experiment 3, in which a FRF of 456.2 m/s2/N
was obtained at the frequency of 1370 Hz (very close to the second
harmonic1369.4 Hz), in the Y direction. Moreover, experiment
4 showed a higher FRF than experiment 3 in the X direction, but the

total vibration energy of experiment 4 in the second harmonic of

TPF was much lower than that obtained in experiment 3. This is
what probably caused the instability in the cutting process,
resulting in the high roughness of the machined surface.
These results thus demonstrate that the main reason for the
higher roughness values in experiment 3 was the tool instability,
as evidenced in Figs. 68. However, the toughness of the tool used
in this process sufced to prevent its early damage or catastrophic
failure, enabling it to cut for at least 400 min.
It is interesting to compare the results of experiment 3 with
experiment 1. Both were performed with the same tool and
cutting speed (same tool revolution) and same TPF. Therefore,
both had the same excitation frequency. However, as the tool
used in experiment 1 had a shorter length (L) and, consequently,
lower values of FRF at the second harmonic of TPF, it was able to
withstand the excitation caused by the cutting forces without
instability in the process.
As mentioned in the Methods, equipments and materials
section, a complete experiment was not performed in the condition using the indexable insert tool with D 8 mm and
TSC45 mm  1, because it resulted in higher roughness values
than those obtained in experiment 3, even using a fresh tool.
However, Fig. 9a shows the FRF curve of the tool, and Fig. 9b
compares the energy values in the second harmonic of the tool
used in this condition with those of the integral ball nose end mill
of D 8 mm and TSC45 mm  1 (experiment 3).
In this case, the FRF value on the Y axis at the second harmonic
of the TPF is lower than that obtained in experiment 3, but is
much higher than those obtained in the other experiments (see
Fig. 8). However, what might explain the higher roughness values
than in experiment 3 is the high FRF in the X direction (the
highest amongst all the experiments). Therefore, in terms of total
tool vibration in the second harmonic of the TPF, this preliminary

M.M. de Aguiar et al. / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 68 (2013) 110

EXPERIMENT 1

170

D=8,00

Fy [N]

Integral

Fresh tool
400 minutes

TSC=20

EXPERIMENT 2

D=12,00
TSC=20

85

170

Integral

85

170

D=8,00

Fresh tool
400 minutes

Fy [N]

Integral

170

Integral
D=12,00

85

TSC=45

EXPERIMENT 4

85

TSC=45

170

D=8,00
TSC=20

Fresh tool
400 minutes

Fy [N]

Insert

EXPERIMENT 6

D=12,00
85

170

Insert

TSC=20

Fresh tool
400 minutes

Fy [N]

EXPERIMENT 5

Fresh tool
400 minutes

Fy [N]

EXPERIMENT 3

Fresh tool
400 minutes

Fy [N]

85

Fig. 7. Polar coordinates of Fy peaks.

experiment produced the highest value, causing considerable tool

instability, and hence, high surface roughness, precluding the use
of this set of conditions.
Again, it is evident that high amplitude vibrations occur when
the harmonics of TPF are close to the systems natural frequency,

as stated by Polli [20]. In experiment 3, the roughness values

obtained in cutting with the fresh tool were Rz 3.14 and 1.94 mm
measured, respectively, in the directions transverse and longitudinal to the feed, and in the preliminary experiment, these
values were Rz 9.11 and 3.96 mm.

m/s2/Newton

M.M. de Aguiar et al. / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 68 (2013) 110

500.0
450.0
400.0
350.0
300.0
250.0
200.0
150.0
100.0
50.0
0.0

4. Conclusions
Based on the results of this work, several conclusions can be
drawn from the milling of AISI H13 steel with a hardness of 50
HRC (in conditions similar to those used here):

Experiment 1 Experiment 2 Experiment 3 Experiment 4 Experiment 5 Experiment 6

D=8,00

D=12,00

D=8,00

TSC=20

D=12,00

D=8,00

TSC=45

D=12,00

TSC=20

INTEGRAL

INDEXABLE INSERT

EnergyX

44.6

20.2

125.3

203.6

32.2

15.9

EnergyY

34.1

18.1

456.2

160.1

2.4

15.3

Fig. 8. Energy values in the second harmonic of the natural frequency of the tool/
tool-shank/machine system.

500

INSERT D=8,00 TSC=45

450
400

m/s2/Newton

X
Y
TPF and harmonics

350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0

Hertz
500
450
400

Wear was not a problem for the tools since, even after a long
cutting time (400 min), ank wear was very slight and the tool
nose shape was not unduly damaged. Surface roughness did
not increase signicantly with cutting time in most of the
conditions tested in this work.
Albeit slight, wear was responsible for the increase in tool runout as the cutting time proceeded. However, the higher tool
run-out did not increase the surface roughness in most of the
experiments.
The experiment using the integral carbide tool with diameter
D 8 mm and tool slenderness coefcient TSC 45 was the
exception among the experiments. When this set of conditions
was used, the second harmonic of the tooth passing frequency
(TPF) was a frequency with a high FRF value, which led to the
occurrence of tool instability. This instability augmented the
workpiece surface roughness when compared with that
obtained in the other experiments.
- In spite of being minimal, tool wear contributed to the increase
of tool instability in this experiment, which caused the workpiece surface roughness to increase over cutting time, unlike
what occurred in the other experiments.
Despite the instability, the tool used in this experiment was
not damaged. Therefore, the tool is sufciently tough to withstand the high vibrations occurring in these conditions.
Using TSC 20, regardless of the tool diameter, and D 12 mm,
regardless of the TSC, it is possible to perform nishing
operations and achieve high workpiece surface quality and
long tool life with both integral tools and indexable carbide
insert tools.
Good workpiece surface roughness allied to long tool life of
long slender tools can be achieved provided the tooth passing
frequency used in the milling process (and its harmonics) does
not produce high FRF values, thus preventing the occurrence of
instability during milling.

m/s2/Newton

350
300
250

References

200
150
100
50
0
Experiment 3

Preliminary
Experiment

D=8,00

D=8,00

TSC=45

TSC=45

INTEGRAL

INDEXABLE
INSERT

Energy X

125.3

291.6

Energy Y

456.2

305.4

Fig. 9. FRF of the tool/tool-shank/machine system of the preliminary experiment

(a), and energy values in the second harmonic of experiment 3 and preliminary
experiment (b).

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