Josep M. Carbonell will be presenting a paper titled “Numerical Modelling of Machining and Finishing Operations Using the PFEM” at the 43rd Solid Mechanics Conference.

In his talk, Carbonell will delve into the cutting-edge application of the Particle Finite Element Method (PFEM) for simulating machining and finishing processes. With additive manufacturing in metals gaining increasing industrial interest, the challenge of improving surface quality remains critical. This presentation will highlight how PFEM can be leveraged to enhance parts created through additive processes by refining their surface finish and ensuring tighter tolerances.

Carbonell’s research focuses on the prediction of machining-induced residual stresses and surface roughness, both crucial for high-precision manufacturing in industries such as aerospace and automotive. Several case studies will be presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the PFEM in simulating complex material behaviors and enhancing the performance of machined components.

 

Numerical modelling of machining and finishing operations using the FEM
Josep M. Carbonell *†1 , Hadi Bakhshan*†2 and Fernando Rastellini †3
* Facultat de Ciènies, Tecnologia i Enginyeries (FCTE)
Universitat de Vic-Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic-UCC), Vic, Spain.
e-mail: 1cpuigbo@cimne.upc.edu, josepmaria.carbonell@uvic.cat
† Centre Internacional de Mètodes Numèrics en Enginyeria (CIMNE), Barcelona, Spain.

KEYWORDS: Cutting, machining, finishing processes, particle methods, PFEM.

ABSTRACT
Additive manufacturing in metals is one of the techniques with the most industrial interest today. Much experimental and numerical research is being carried out to improve the properties of the manufactured material. It must provide parts of the same quality but faster than current techniques to achieve success. Unfortunately, additively manufactured parts often lack the surface finish required for their applications. This has once again led to an interest in studying subtractive manufacturing processes, such as machining and cutting. If the workpiece material is produced using an additive process, with machining, parts can be improved to meet tighter tolerances and a finer surface finish.
Nowadays machining is still one of the most important manufacturing processes in the aerospace and automotive industries. It allows for the use of sturdier and harder materials and the generation of complex geometries with high precision. The prediction of cutting and feed forces in the function of the prescribed feed is fundamental for characterizing the process. Machining-induced residual stresses on produced parts and the modelling of the surface roughness are two important aspects of interest.
The objective of this work is to use the Particle Finite Element Method (PFEM) for the numerical modelling of machining and finishing processes. The purpose is to obtain the characteristics of the finished surface, and residual stresses that remain in the processed material. To show the virtues of the method, several application examples are presented. The capabilities of the method are discussed, as well as the accuracy of the results obtained.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: This research has received funding from the European Union’s Research
Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS): project num. 101112346.
REFERENCES
[1] Bakhshan, H., Oñate, E. and Carbonell, J.M. “A Review of the Constitutive Modelling of Metals
and Alloys in Machining Process”. Arch Computat Methods Eng (2023).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11831-023-10026-x
[2] J.M. Carbonell, J.M. Rodríguez and E. Oñate. “Modelling 3D cutting problems with the Particle
Finite Element Method”, Computational Mechanics, 66, 603-624, (2020).
[3] J.M. Rodríguez, J.M. Carbonell and P. Jonsén. “Numerical methods for the modelling of chip
formation processes”, Archives of computational methods in engineering, 27, 387–412, (2020).