Experiment Retrospection

1. Tool-Chip Thermocouple Technique

Here is the schematic of tool-chip thermocouple set-up:

Generally, only the average temperature at the tool/chip interface can be obtained.
Sometimes, a tool-work thermocouple was also used.
The calibration of the tool-chip thermocouple is shown as:

Some limitations of this methods are mainly:

1. The elimination of parasitic e.m.f.'s which could affect the thermocouple
output.
2. The calibration of the thermocouple output.
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2. Embedded Thermocouple Technique
 The following is a typical embedded thermocouple setup:

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3. Infrared Radiation Technique
The first use of this technique was reported by Schwerd who developed a total
Radiation Pyrometer for determining the temperature distribution at the surfaces of
tool and workpiece.
Several researchers attempted to access to chip/tool interface by scanning through
holes drilled either in the work or tool. Prins' pyrometer arrangement is shown as
follows:
 Limitation of the above measurements is that there is considerable interference of the
contact zone which must influence the heat flow and the resulting temperature of
either the chip or tool surface.
Infrared Photography technique proposed by Boothroyd can obtain a full
temperature field in the chip and workpiece. A calibration strip, which was electrocally
heated from one end,was simply used to calculate the real temperature. The following
setup was used at that time:

Today, many disavantages of this technique are overcomed.

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4. Metal Microstructure and Microhardness Variation Measurement
Under suitable cutting conditions, the metallographic method can be used to
determining the temperature gradients in high speed steel cutting tools. The following
picture is the etched rake face of tool used to cut nickel in normal dry atmosphere at
46 m/min, 0.25 mm/rev feed for 30 seconds(After E. F. Smart and E. M. Trent):
 However, the microstructure, microhardness and other properties change to some
extent dependent on temperature and time.
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5. Thermosensitive Painting Technique
Using the thermosensitive paints for estimating cutting temperature is because that
these paints change colors at different temperature.
Limitations are that there is a relatively long time lag for the colors to change and that
small changes in temperature are not easy to be detected.
6. Temper Color Technique
This technique is based on the fact that the temper colors of some metals are different
at different temperatures. And it wasn't widely used.
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Any Comments, please contact: Yuliu Zheng (yuzheng@mtu.edu)