Force-based reliability estimation of remaining cutting tool life in titanium milling

Reliability estimation and prediction of the remaining life of a cutting tool is paramount for ensuring economic and damage proof machining. Monitoring of the status of the cutting tool and especially flank wear disrupts the process and thus avoided. In the present study a novel reliability estimation approach to the cutting tools remaining life based on advanced approximation methods is proposed. An approximation model that is based on response surface and a surrogate model is used for the representation of flank wear as a function of process parameters and cutting forces. For the establishment of this model, the relationship of cutting forces with flank wear is investigated experimentally. The results show that the proposed method is an efficient method for assessing the reliability of the cutting tool based on a minimum number of experimental runs. Experimental verification for the case of titanium milling confirms the findings of the present study.