Residual Stresses Induced while Machining Inconel-718 in Cryogenic Environment: Numerical Estimation

Abstract

Nickel alloys are recognized to offer great strength, good corrosion resistance, and outstanding thermal stability when compared to typical materials, these features can be utilized in aerospace and turbine sectors. Nickel alloy is one of the most difficult to cut materials since it is having a high strain hardening propensity and low thermal conductivity. But due to the outstanding qualities of Inconel-718, these types of material cannot be ruled out, and hence they are being machined in a cryogenic environment. Many studies have been conducted in recent years to quantify and predict machining-induced residual stress. It has been concluded that the residual stress can be viewed as a function of machining parameters. However, during the cutting process, the combined effect of thermal and mechanical loads has a direct impact on the stress field. Despite conducting experimental studies, there is a significant requirement to build numerical models to simulate residual stress distribution on machined surfaces in order to identify appropriate machining settings. The effect of cryogenic cooling on residual stress has yet to be modeled. In a cryogenic environment, finite element modeling has been successfully used to forecast residual stresses caused by machining. Tungsten Carbide was used as a single-point cutting tool for 2D orthogonal cutting in a cryogenic environment using Abaqus CAE/6.14. In this research work, it has been observed that the geometrical characteristics of the tool and the cutting parameters affect the residual stress. The results provide the correlation between residual stress and the above parameters.