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Air-cooling and dry machining are both being trialled as possible solutions to the metal cutting industry's long running problems of extending tool life, reducing tool failure and minimising the heat generation at the tool tip. To date, large amounts of expensive coolant which cause both environmental damage and health hazards have had to be used. The introduction of dry machining is the goal of today's metal cutting industry that tirelessly endeavours to reduce machining costs and impact from chemicals in the environment. Modern tool tips are already capable of maintaining their cutting edge at higher temperatures, but even with these improvements in tool materials, the cutting edge will eventually break down. Applying cold air to the tool interface of these modern tool tips will also help prolong their tool life reducing the cost of metal cutting. Dry machining incorporating air being directed on to the tool interface is considered in this paper as a possible alternative for harmful liquid-based cooling. However, low convective heat removal rates associated with conventional air-cooling methods are generally inadequate for dissipating intense heat generation in the cutting processes and suitable improved cooling methodologies have yet to be established. Key words: Vortex tube, tool life, flank wear, cold fraction, coefficient of performance, air-cooled, environmentally friendly, INTRODUCTION In this research examines the operational effectiveness of a Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube being used to cool tool tip during machining. The Ranque-Hilsch vortex effect was discovered in the early [...]

Laser-assisted machining is a widely used technique for preheating workpiece to reduce cutting forces and promote machinability in metal machining, thereby enhancing manufacturing quality and productivity. In setting laser-assisted machining parameters, the current practice typically relies on trial-and-error approaches. The uncertainties thereof could lead to adverse outcomes in product manufacturing, thus negating the potential benefits of this machining method. A clear understanding of workpiece thermal behaviour under laser spot heating is pivotal to developing a systematic basis for determining required preheating levels and optimised cutting variables for laser-assisted machining. In achieving this, the experimental methods are recognised to be largely impractical, if not tedious, due to instrument limitations and practicality of suitable non-intrusive measuring methods. Conversely, numerical methodologies do provide precise, flexible and cost-effective analytical options, warranting potential for insightful understanding on the transient thermal impact from laser preheating on rotating workpiece. Presenting such an investigation, this article presents a finite volume-based numerical simulation that examines and analyses the thermal response imparted by laser spot preheating on a rotating cylinder surface. On a rotating frame of reference using the ANSYS Fluent solver, the numerical model is formulated, accounting for transient heat conduction into the cylinder body and the combined convection and radiation loses from the cylinder surface. The model is comprehensively validated to ascertaining its high predictive accuracy and the applicability under reported laser-assisted machining operating conditions. The extensive parametric analyses carried out deliver clear insight into the dynamics of thermal penetration occurring within the workpiece due to laser spot preheating. This facilitates appropriate consideration of laser preheating intensity in relation to other operating variables to achieve necessary material softening depth at the workpiece surface prior to setting out on the subsequent machining process. Building upon the data generated, a practically simpler and cost-effective preheating parametric predictor is synthesised for laser-assisted machining using neural network principles incorporating the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm. This predictive tool is trained and verified as a practical preheating guide for laser-assisted machining for a range of operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluid flow through curved ducts is essentially characterised by the secondary flow effects due to duct curvature and cross-sectional flow geometry. Such flows produce vortex structures making the fluid behaviour vastly different than those in straight ducts while intrinsically promoting forced convection through fluid mixing. Examining the unique features of secondary flow and wall heat transfer, this paper presents a numerical simulation on the fluid flow through curved elliptical ducts, including circular geometry. The study develops and validates a novel numerical model based on three-dimensional vortex structures (helicity) and a curvilinear mesh system to overcome previous modelling limitations. Considering several duct aspect ratios, flow rates and wall heat fluxes, computations are performed to obtain the flow patterns and thermal characteristics. Parametric influences on flow features and forced convection are described through physical interpretation. The onset of vortices due to secondary flow instability is carefully examined in relation to the duct aspect ratio and flow rate. Appraising their merits, two techniques are developed for accurate detection of secondary flow instability and integrated into the computational process, which was not previously feasible. An approach based on the Second Law irreversibility is evaluated for thermal optimisation of fluid flow through curved elliptical ducts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A numerical analysis of heat transfer in a heated horizontal duct is carried out to study the effect of surface radiation from duct inner walls on mixed convection heat transfer. The duct is differentially heated, wherein the opposing vertical walls are maintained at two specified isothermal temperatures, while the horizontal walls are perfectly insulated. Air enters the heated duct in a hydrodynamically fully developed condition, and steadily flows under laminar conditions while undergoing thermal development within the heated duct. For a set of specified temperature differences across the isothermal vertical walls, the heat transfer rate to the airflow is evaluated, and the fluid flow patterns are obtained for a range of flow rates, duct aspect ratios, and wall emissivities. Critically examining the fluid flow patterns and the characteristics of the hot wall Nusselt number, the significance of wall radiation effects on mixed convection heat transfer is identified and analysed in this study. It is found that the interaction of surface radiation and mixed convection influences the transport phenomena within heated ducts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]