Multiscale simulation on nanometric cutting of single crystal aluminum

Abstract: Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and finite element (FE) method have been successfully applied in the simulation of the machining process, but the two methods have their own limitations. For example, the MD simulation can only explain the phenomena occurring at nanometric scale because of the computational cost and nanoscale, while the FE method is suited to model meso-macroscale machining and to simulate macro parameters such as the temperature in cutting zone, the stress/strain distribution, and cutting forces. With the successful application of multiscale simulation in many research fields, the multiscale simulation of the machining process is becoming possible in relation to the machined surface generation including the surface roughness, residual stress, microhardness, microstructure, and fatigue. Based on the quasicontinuum (QC) method, this paper presents the multiscale simulation of nanometric cutting of crystal copper to demonstrate that a combined MD–FE technique can be applied to a multiscale simulation of the machining process. The study shows that the multiscale simulation is feasible, not withstanding that there is still more work needing to be done to make the multiscale simulation more practical