Modeling micro-end-milling operations. Part III: influence of tool wear

The characteristics of the cutting forces were studied at different usage levels and the analytical model of the micro-end-milling operations was modified to represent the tool wear. A new expression was derived from the model to estimate the remaining tool life from experimental data. The parameters of the model are estimated by using genetic algorithms. The difference between the simulated and experimental cutting force profiles for new and worn tools was less than 8%. The remaining tool life was estimated with typically 10% error from the experimental data. Maximum error was 20%. The introduced analytical model and genetic algorithm-based parameter estimation approach is very convenient for on-line tool wear monitoring without extensive experimental study. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.