Orthogonal cutting mechanics of medium density fiberboards.

The modeling and experimental analysis of orthogonal cutting mechanics are presented for machining medium density fiberboard (MDF). The forces exerted on the tool during cutting are decomposed into rake face and flank face components. A Coulomb friction model is assumed on both the flank and rake faces, and the friction constants on both faces of the tool are predicted. The experimental results showed that the friction on the rake face is rather small, and the pressure exerted by the uncut chip on the rake face mainly dominates the force on the rake face. The cutting forces are expressed as functions of cutting constants, tool geometry, and uncut chip area. The cutting constants are a function of the MDF density, which changes along the board thickness, and the rake angle of the tool. The proposed cutting constants can be used to predict the cutting forces in machining MDF with tools having complex geometry such as router bits.