Comprehensive study of material removal mechanism of polycrystalline copper during ultra-precision cutting using molecular dynamics

Nano-polycrystalline copper as a unique functional and structural material has been drawn great attention. Comprehensive study on its nano-cutting mechanism is of great important to guide the ultra-precision machining process. In this paper, nano-cutting simulation of polycrystalline copper was studied against the cutting depth, tool geometry, grain size and grain orientation. The effect of cutting depth on the shear angle of the material deformation and the proportion of HCP atoms in chips were studied. Furthermore, nano-indentation and nano-cutting of polycrystalline copper with different grain size were simulated. In terms of crystal orientation, the difference of orientation in the bi-crystalline copper could form chips with different shapes and induce different strain distribution within the grain. In addition, the size and distribution of dislocation density are studied in the nano-cutting process of different polycrystalline copper textures. Texture {112}<111>, {236}<385>, and {124}<211> were considered.