Multiscale simulation on nanometric cutting of single crystal copper
X. Z. Sun, S. J. Chen, K. Cheng, D. H. Hu and W. J. Chu
Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part B-Journal of Enginee, 220, 1217-1222 (2006).

ABSTRACT
Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and finite element (FE) method have been
successfully applied in the simulation of the machining process, but the two
methods have their own limitations. For example, the MD simulation can only
explain the phenomena occurring at nanometric scale because of the computational
cost and nanoscale, while the FE method is suited to model meso-macroscale
machining and to simulate macro parameters such as the temperature in cutting
zone, the stress/strain distribution, and cutting forces. With the successful
application of multiscale simulation in many research fields, the multiscale
simulation of the machining process is becoming possible in relation to the
machined surface generation including the surface roughness, residual stress,
microhardness, microstructure, and fatigue. Based on the quasicontinuum (QC)
method, this' paper presents the multiscale simulation of nanometric cutting of
crystal copper to demonstrate that a combined MD-FE technique can be applied to
a multiscale simulation of the machining process. The study shows that the
multiscale simulation is feasible, not withstanding that there is still more
work needing to be done to make the multiscale simulation more practical.