Experimental Investigation on Heat Pipe-Assisted Cooling During Milling Process of AISI 1040

The cutting temperatures during milling operation are high owing to the hardness of work specimens and due to friction at the tool–work and tool–chip interfaces. This elevated temperature results in the deformation of the cutting edges during dry milling. The most common method employed to reduce the heat that is generated is the application of cutting fluids in the cutting zone. The tool life during milling is prominently enhanced by providing a higher quantity of cutting fluid at the cutting zone. Though the cutting fluid effectively removes heat from the tool, its sudden application causes thermal shocks in the tool. This thermal shock makes the tool brittle specifically at the cutting edges resulting in tool wear. Also, coolant application has a negative impact on the environment as well as the machine operator’s health. Moreover, tool cost is higher than the cost of safekeeping and clearing of cutting fluids. Machining with heat pipe is a newly established technique to lower the problem involved with cutting fluid. Thus, in this experiment, a customized milling tool is fabricated such that it can house a ring-shaped heat pipe. The experiments were conducted in conditions of dry milling with no coolant and heat pipe-assisted cooling. The results obtained in the experiments confirm that milling with heat pipe-assisted cooling exhibited reduced cutting force and cutting temperature than dry machining. Thus, heat pipe-assisted cooling can be suggested as an alternative for conventional methods.