Investigation of the temperature effect on cutting of calcium fluoride single crystal using molecular dynamics simulation

Thermal assisted machining has been demonstrated to enhance the machinability of single-crystal CaF2 but the underlying mechanisms of the thermal effect on the mechanical behavior of the material remain unclear. Therefore, molecular dynamics was employed in this research to study the deformation process during machining from the perspective of dislocation activity. The results illustrate the enhanced plasticity with longer dislocation line lengths and the reduction in cutting forces at an elevated temperature. Micro-cutting experiments confirm the simulated results by the delay in ductile–brittle transition by a magnitude of 1.34.