Modeling of thin-walled edge cutting angle in end milling of honeycomb cores

Thin-walled edge cutting angle (TWECA) refers to a unique trait of honeycomb core materials in the course of cutting, which is also a main influencing factor for the surface quality of machining. To validly overcome machining defects, making accurate TWECA prediction during the cutting process is necessary. In this study, a TWECA model for various kinds of thin-walled edges was proposed. Firstly, the thin-walled edges composing honeycomb cores were classified and unified based on the structural features of the cores, which lays the foundation for the modeling of honeycomb core architecture as well as the TWECA prediction. Then, the geometric relationships between tool and various types of thin-walled edges during contact were analyzed, and the differences in TWECAs of thin-walled edges in different tool feed directions were explored. Finally, the TWECA model accuracy was validated by using the tool mark characteristics on the machined surface as the research target. As demonstrated by findings of this research, our model achieves accurate TWECA forecasting during cutting process, thus providing a theoretical foundation for the requirements of low-damage and high-quality machining.