Grooving Insert Rake Face for Stable Flat Spiral Chip Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional cutting inserts fail to effectively manage chip disposal during grooving and cutting-off of high-strength materials like stainless steel and carbon steel, leading to scratches and reduced machining efficiency due to lateral chip flow and wrapping issues, especially at low feed rates.

Innovation Solution

A cutting insert with a rake face featuring a positive rake angle, inclined surfaces, and a recessed groove that gradually changes width to guide chips into a flat spiral spring shape, preventing lateral displacement and ensuring stable discharge.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a wall (breaker wall) rising obliquely rearward from the rake face is provided to curl chips into a flat spiral spring shape, then chip curling is improved, but chips still rub against cut end surfaces causing scratches when machining high-strength materials at low feed rates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvechip curlingVSAvoidscratches on cut end surfaces
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The rake face is segmented into multiple functional zones: a positive rake angle portion for initial chip formation, a breaker wall portion for chip curling, and a recessed groove portion for chip containment. This segmentation allows each zone to perform its specific function optimally, preventing chips from rubbing against cut end surfaces while maintaining effective curling.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different portions of the rake face are given different geometric properties: the positive rake angle portion has a specific inclination for smooth chip formation, the breaker wall has a specific height and angle for effective curling, and the recessed groove has specific depth and width for chip containment. This local differentiation of geometric properties ensures optimal chip control throughout the chip formation and discharge process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Device complexity

If the end cutting edge is made straight and parallel to the rotation axis to simplify the cutting geometry, then chip flow is directed rearward, but long chips flow laterally and cause scratches or wrap around the workpiece

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecutting edge geometryVSAvoidlateral chip flow and wrapping
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The rake face is extended in the width direction with recessed grooves that constrain chip movement laterally. This adds a dimensional constraint (width direction control) to the原本 one-dimensional rearward chip flow, preventing lateral displacement and wrapping while maintaining the simplicity of the straight end cutting edge.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Shape

If a recessed groove is formed in the central portion of the rake face to reduce chip width, then chip width is reduced, but chips still exhibit lateral displacement and fail to curl properly into flat spiral spring shape

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvechip widthVSAvoidchip curling stability
Core Design Contradiction:
ShapeVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The invention merges three previously separate features into a unified rake face structure: the positive rake angle portion, the breaker wall, and the recessed groove. This integration ensures that chip formation, curling, and containment occur in a coordinated sequence, achieving stable flat spiral spring-shaped chips with proper width reduction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution effectively reduces chip width and prevents scratches on workpieces by curling chips into a flat spiral spring shape with no lateral displacement, improving surface roughness and machining efficiency regardless of chip thickness or feed rate.

Implementation Method 1

Chips formed during grooving and cutting-off are deformed by shearing resistance and heat, and therefore the discharged chips have a thickness larger than the cutting depth

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectShearing resistance: Shear Stress

Implementation Method 2

the chip flowing along the wall surface curls into a flat spiral spring shape

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Implementation Method 3

a breaker wall rising obliquely from a rear end of the positive rake face or from a position rearward of the rear end... the chip flowing along the wall surface curls into a flat spiral spring shape

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDeformation: Deformation

Data Source

PatentEP3213843B1Cutting insert
Publication Date: 2022.11.30 NITERRA CO LTD
  • EP3213843B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1C
  • EP3213843B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3213843B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

During grooving or cutting-off, chips are curled into a flat spiral spring shape with no lateral displacement, cut to an appropriate curl length, and then discharged, irrespective of their thickness that varies according to the amount of feed. Inclined surfaces 51 and 52 are formed on a rake face 40 such that they incline downward toward a central portion between side cutting edges 120, and a recessed groove 60 is formed in the central portion between the inclined surfaces such that the recessed groove 60 extends from the the end cutting edge 110 in the forward-rearward direction. The groove width of the recessed groove 60 gradually increases from the position of the end cutting edge 110 toward the rear, then gradually decreases such that the recessed groove 60 has a narrowest portion at a position P2 forward of the position P3 of an upper end 45 of a breaker wall 43 and rearward of a positive rake angle rear end position P1, and then gradually increases toward the rear up to the position P3 of the upper end 45 of the breaker wall 43. The dimensional relation W1 < W2 < W3 holds, where W1 is the groove width at the end cutting edge 110, W2 is the groove width at the narrowest portion, and W3 is the groove width at the position P3 of the upper end 45 of the breaker wall 43.