Effect of High-Pressure Coolant Supplies when Machining Nickel-Base,Inconel 718, Alloy with Ceramic Tools

Chip breakability is significantly improved with the use of high pressure coolant supply. This is a result of the reduction in the tool-chip contact length during machining as the coolant under high pressure lifts the chip up after passing the deformation zone. Increasing the coolant pressure results in shorter ceramic tool life when machining Inconel 718 suggesting that the high pressure coolant supply reduces temperature at the cutting zone below a critical level where ceramic tools can perform satisfactorily. The inadequate fracture toughness of ceramic tools makes them more susceptible to failure by mechanical action such as notching at the depth of cut line and premature fracture. The notch wear rate increases with higher coolant supply pressure due to significant erosion of the tool material by the high pressure coolant jet. This mechanically related failure mode occurs on a random basis leading to inconsistency in tool performance, accelerated by fluctuations in thermal and mechanical properties when machining under high pressure coolant supplies.     

TOOL PERFORMANCE AND CHIP CONTROL WHEN MACHINING Ti6A14V AND INCONEL 901 USING HIGH PRESSURE COOLANT SUPPLY

Single point continuous turning tests were carried out on Ti6A14V and Inconel 901 using various geometries of straight grade (K20) cemented carbide inserts using a high pressure coolant jet directed at the tip of the tool where the chip is formed. Trials were also carried out using a conventional coolant supply for comparison. The test results show that improved tool life can be achieved when machining the titanium-base alloy under the high pressure coolant jet while shorter tool life was obtained when machining the nickel-base alloy. The use of high pressure coolant supply during machining generally maintains constant cutting forces and reduces the chip-tool contact length, thus increasing stresses at the tool edge. This behavior tends to accelerate notching that is predominant when machining the Inconel 901 alloy, resulting in shorter tool life. This effect is not obvious when machining Ti6Ai4V where the tools failed mainly due to excessive flank wear. Effective chip control was achieved when machining both materials because of the cyclic fragmentation mechanism of the newly generated chip.     

Study of wear mechanism of hard-alloy tools during machining of refractory alloys

The work “The Mechanism of Wear Process of Cobalt-Carbide” shows the result of studying cemented carbide when machining refractory alloys based on chromium (X65HBΦT) and nickel (XH77TУP). The conducted research has shown that the machining of chromium-based alloy with a more heat-resistant process of the wear of the carbide inserts with or without a nanoscale coating occurs less intensively than for the tool wear process in the machining of Ni alloy It is established that this effect is connected with different crystal structures, phase contents, and properties of the heat-resistant alloys in question.     

硬质合金刀具高速车铣和铣削TC4钛合金磨损试验对比

采用H13A未涂层硬质合金刀具对TC4钛合金进行高速正交车铣和铣削试验,并从刀具磨损破损形态、磨损机理及其寿命等方面进行对比分析。研究表明:高速正交车铣和铣削钛合金时,前、后刀面主要以粘结磨损为主,车铣加工时在切削刃口易形成积屑瘤及连续切屑,但对刀具材料粘结较轻;高速铣削时,对刀具材料粘接较重,在前刀面刃口附近形成凹坑及崩刃;后刀面最大磨损的位置不相同。试验对比了相同切削条件时刀具使用寿命,结果表明采用正交车铣加工可以获得更长的刀具使用寿命。     

Finish Machining of Nickel-Base Inconel 718 Alloy with Coated Carbide Tool under Conventional and High-Pressure Coolant Supplies

Single-point turning of Inconel 718 alloy with commercially available Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD)-coated carbide tools under conventional and high-pressure coolant supplies up to 20.3 MPa was carried out. Tool life, surface roughness (Ra), tool wear, and component forces were recorded and analyzed. The test results show that acceptable surface finish and improved tool life can be achieved when machining Inconel 718 with high coolant pressures. The highest improvement in tool life (349%) was achieved when machining with 11 MPa coolant supply pressure at higher speed conditions of 60 m · min^?1. Machining with coolant pressures in excess of 11 MPa at cutting speeds up to 40 m · min^?1 lowered tool life more than when machining under conventional coolant flow at a feed rate of 0.1 mm · rev^?1. This suggests that there is a critical coolant pressure under which the cutting tools performed better under high-pressure coolant supplies.

Cutting forces increased with increasing cutting speed due probably to reactive forces introduced by the high-pressure coolant jet. Tool wear/wear rate increased gradually with prolonged machining with high coolant pressures due to improved coolant access to the cutting interface, hence lowering cutting temperature. Nose wear was the dominant tool failure mode when machining with coated carbide tools due probably to a reduction in the chip-tool and tool-workpiece contact length/area.     

Suppression of notch wear of a whisker reinforced ceramic tool in air-jet-assisted high-speed machining of Inconel 718

This paper describes the notch and flank wear specific to a SiC whisker reinforced alumina tool in air jet assisted (AJA) turning of nickel-base superalloy Inconel 718 at high cutting speeds. An AJA machining experiment has revealed that the air jet applied to the tool tip in addition to coolant dramatically reduces the depth-of-cut notch wear. As a result, the width of flank wear, but not the size of notch wear, determined the life of a ceramic tool in AJA machining of Inconel 718. This is a reason for the large extension and small variation of the tool life when high speed AJA machining is adopted. The maximum tool life length reached 2160 m at a cutting speed of 660 m/min under the given cutting conditions. Finally, the mechanisms of the notch and flank wear of a SiC whisker reinforced alumina tool in AJA machining are discussed from the viewpoints of tribochemical reactions and tool wear anisotropy.     

Lathe Turning of Titanium Using Pulsed Laser Deposited, Ultra-Hard Boride Coatings of Carbide Inserts

Despite several years of research and development, titanium machining remains a challenging task that is currently carried out by the use of straight WC/Co and polycrystalline diamond (PCD) tools. Commercially available coated tools tend to react chemically with titanium, while ceramic tools suffer from chipping and notching. Advancements in cutting tools, particularly coated carbides, are needed to reduce tool wear in machining of titanium alloys. In this work, a recently developed, ultra-hard AlMgB₁₄-20%TiB₂ composite material was applied as a coating on WC/6%Co tool inserts by a pulsed laser (excimer) deposition technique. The coating was smooth, continuous, and fairly uniform in thickness. The average coating thickness was 0.7 μm for a deposition rate of 0.08 nm per pulse. Nanoindentation tests revealed that the hardness of the coating was approximately twice that of the WC/6%Co substrate. Dry machining tool wear tests, conducted with a CNC lathe by turning bar stocks of heat-treated Ti-6Al-4V alloy, showed that the coated tools outperformed uncoated tools by about two times in flank and nose wears and performed nearly same as that of the commercially available TiAlN coated tool. Detailed analysis of worn tools revealed that the wear mechanisms are quite different in coated tools and are similar to those observed in PCD tools. Results agree well with the general observation that a stable, strong adherent layer forms at the interface between the tool and the chip and minimizes the dissolution-diffusion wear mechanism.     

EFFECT OF COOLANT PRESSURE,NOZZLE DIAMETER,IMPINGEMENT ANGLE AND SPOT DISTANCE IN HIGH PRESSURE COOLING WITH NEAT OIL IN TURNING Ti-6AL-4V

Though titanium alloys are being increasingly sought in a wide variety of engineering and biomedical applications, their manufacturability, especially machining and grinding imposes lot of constraints. Titanium alloys are readily machinable provided the cutting velocity is in the range of 30–60 m/min. To achieve higher productivity, if the cutting velocity is enhanced to 60–120 m/min and beyond, rapid tool wear takes place diminishing the available tool life. Tool wear in machining of titanium alloys is mainly due to high cutting zone temperature localised in the vicinity of the cutting edge and enhanced chemical reactivity of titanium with the tool material. Rapid tool wear encountered in machining of titanium alloys is a challenge that needs to be overcome. High pressure cooling in machining is a very promising technology for enhancing tool life and productivity via appropriate cooling and lubrication. The present investigation is an attempt to study the effects of jet application parameters, i.e., coolant pressure, angle of impingement of the jet, spot distance and nozzle diameter on tool wear and chip morphology and to compare the effectiveness while turning Ti-6Al-4V bars under high pressure cooling with neat oil. Results indicated that at a cutting speed of 85 m/min and feed of 0.2 mm/rev, high pressure cooling provided a tool life of 24 min vis-à-vis 12 min under cryogenic cooling.     

Wear behaviour of alumina based ceramic cutting tools on machining steels

The advanced ceramic cutting tools have very good wear resistance, high refractoriness, good mechanical strength and hot hardness. Alumina based ceramic cutting tools have very high abrasion resistance and hot hardness. Chemically they are more stable than high-speed steels and carbides, thus having less tendency to adhere to metals during machining and less tendency to form built-up edge. This results in good surface finish and dimensional accuracy in machining steels. In this paper wear behaviour of alumina based ceramic cutting tools is investigated. The machining tests were conducted using SiC whisker reinforced alumina ceramic cutting tool and Ti[C,N] mixed alumina ceramic cutting tool on martensitic stainless steel-grade 410 and EN 24 steel work pieces. Flank wear in Ti[C,N] mixed alumina ceramic cutting tool is lower than that of the SiC whisker reinforced alumina cutting tool. SiC whisker reinforced alumina cutting tool exhibits poor crater wear resistance while machining. Notch wear in SiC whisker reinforced alumina cutting tool is lower than that of the Ti[C,N] mixed alumina ceramic cutting tool. The flank wear, crater wear and notch wear are higher on machining martensitic stainless steel than on machining hardened steel. In summary Ti[C,N] mixed alumina cutting tool performs better than SiC whisker reinforced alumina cutting tool on machining martensitic stainless steel.     

Evaluation of the Machinability of Nickel-Base,Inconel 718, Alloy with Nano-Ceramic Cutting Tools

The machinability of difficult-to-cut aerospace alloys can be enhanced by the rapid development of cutting tool materials that can withstand machining at high-speed conditions. The performance of nano-grain size ceramic tool materials were evaluated when machining nickel base, Inconel 718, in terms of tool life, tool failure modes and wear mechanisms as well as component forces generated under different roughing conditions. Comparison tests were carried out with commercially available ceramic tool materials of micron-grain composition.

The test results show that the micron grain size commercially available tool materials generally gave the longest tool life. The dominant failure mode is nose wear, while some of the nano-ceramic tools were rejected mainly due to chipping at the cutting edge. This suggests that physical properties and mechanical stability of the cutting edge of the ceramic tools influence their overall performance. It is also evident that chemical compositions of the tool materials played a significant role in their failure. The alumina base ceramics are more susceptible to premature fracture than the silicon nitride base ceramics with higher fracture toughness.     

Analysis of tool wear patterns in finishing turning of Inconel 718

This paper focuses on the analysis of tool wear mechanisms in finishing turning of Inconel 718, one of the most used Ni alloys, both in wet and dry cutting. Cemented carbides, ceramics and CBN tools are suitable for machining Ni alloys; coated carbide tools are competitive for machining operations of Ni alloys and widely used in industry. Commercial coated carbide tools (multilayer coating TiAl/TiAlN recommended for machining Ni alloys) were studied in this work. The feasibility of two inserts tested for dry cutting of Inconel 718 has been shown in the work. Experimental test were performed in order to analyze wear patterns evolution. It was found great influence of side cutting edge angle in tool wear mode.     

Evaluation of the performance of coated carbide tools in face milling TC6 alloy under dry condition

Titanium and its alloys are well known as the typical different-to-cut materials because of their low thermal conductivity, high chemical reactivity, and low modulus of elasticity. During machining of titanium alloy, advanced high-speed, high-efficiency processing technologies are adopted to improve the production efficiency and reduce the production costs. The main goal of this work is to compare the performance of physical vapor deposition (PVD)-coated (TiN/TiAlN) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-coated (TiN/Al₂O₃/TiCN) carbide inserts in face milling TC6 alloy. To this end, the present paper reviewed the main works on the application of PVD- and CVD-coated tools in machining titanium alloys and the material performance of TC6 alloy, especially the machinability in machining process. Several tool life tests and tool wear experiments were carried out on a milling center with a five-axis spindle drive. Cutting forces were measured with a Kistler dynamometer. The failure modes and chip morphology were observed. Surface roughness and tool wear evolution were determined. The wear mechanism was discussed to compare the performance of PVD and CVD-coated tools. The main conclusions of this work were that the cutting tools made with PVD coating (TiN/TiAlN) had the excellent tooling quality and the main wear mechanisms were spalling and adhesion. PVD-TiN/TiAlN insert was more suitable to milling TC6 alloy than CVD-TiN/Al₂O₃/TiCN insert.     

Tool life and wear mechanism of coated and uncoated Al2O3/TiCN mixed ceramic tools in turning hardened alloy steel

The focus of this paper is the continuous turning of hardened AISI 52100 (～63HRc) using coated and uncoated ceramic Al₂O₃–TiCN mixed inserts, which are cheaper than cubic boron nitride (CBN) or polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN). The machinability of hardened steel was evaluated by measurements of tool wear, tool life, and surface finish of the workpiece. Wear mechanisms and patterns of ceramic inserts in hard turning of hardened AISI 52100 are discussed. According to the results obtained, fracture and chipping type damages occur more frequently in uncoated tools, whereas crater wear is the more common type of damage in TiN coated tools. Most important result obtained from the study is that TiN coating and crater wear affect chip flow direction. In uncoated ceramic tool, the crater formation results in decrease of chip up-curl radius. Besides, uncoated cutting tool results in an increase in the temperature at the tool chip interface. This causes a thermal bi-metallic effect between the upper and lower sides of the chip that forces the chip to curl a smaller radius. Chips accumulate in front of the tool and stick to the workpiece depending on the length of the cutting time. This causes the surface quality to deteriorate. TiN coating not only ensures that the cutting tool is tougher, but also ensures that the surface quality is maintained during cutting processes.     

Performance studies of multilayer hard surface coatings (TiN/TiCN/Al2O3/TiN) of indexable carbide inserts in hard machining: Part-I (An experimental approach)

In recent years, hard machining using CBN and ceramic inserts became an emerging technology than traditional grinding and widely used manufacturing processes. However the relatively high cost factors associated with such tools has left a space to look for relatively low cost cutting tool materials to perform in an acceptable range. Multilayer coated carbide insert is the proposed alternative in the present study due to its low cost. Thus, an attempt has been made to have an extensive study on the machinability aspects such as flank wear, chip morphology, surface roughness in finish hard turning of AISI 4340 steel (HRC 47 ± 1) using multilayer coated carbide (TiN/TiCN/Al₂O₃/TiN) insert under dry environment. Parametric influences on turning forces are also analyzed. From the machinability study, abrasion and chipping are found to be the dominant wear mechanism in hard turning. Multilayer TiN coated carbide inserts produced better surface quality and within recommendable range of 1.6 μm i.e. comparable with cylindrical grinding. At extreme parametric conditions, the growth of tool wear was observed to be rapid thus surface quality affected adversely. The chip morphology study reveals a more favorable machining environment in dry machining using TiN coated carbide inserts. The cutting speed and feed are found to have the significant effect on the tool wear and surface roughness from ANOVA study. It is evident that, thrust force (Fy) is the largest component followed by tangential force (Fz) and the feed force (Fx) in finish hard turning. The observations yield the machining ability of multilayer TiN coated carbide inserts in hard turning of AISI 4340 steel even at higher cutting speeds.     

Experimental investigations while hard machining of DIEVAR tool steel (50 HRC)

This paper describes hard machining which offers many potential benefits over traditional manufacturing techniques. In this work, investigations were carried out on end milling of hardened tool steel DIEVAR (hardness 50 HRC), a newly developed tool steel material used by tool- and die-making industries. The objective of the present investigation was to study the performance characteristics of machining parameters such as cutting speed, feed, depth of cut and width of cut with due consideration to multiple responses, i.e. volume of material removed, tool wear, tool life and surface finish. Performance evaluation of physical vapour deposition-coated carbide inserts, ball end mill cutter and polycrystalline cubic boron nitride inserts (PCBN) was done for rough and finish machining on the basis of flank wear, tool life, volume of material removed, surface roughness and chip formation. It has been observed from investigations that chipping, diffusion and adhesion were active tool wear mechanisms and saw-toothed chips were formed whilst machining DIEVAR hard steel. PCBN inserts give an excellent performance in terms of tool life and surface finish in comparison with carbide-coated inserts. End milling technique using PCBN inserts could be a viable alternative to grinding in comparison to ball end mill cutter in terms of surface finish and tool life.     

TC4钛合金在低温CO2冷却下的切削性能

TC4钛合金在高速车削时易出现刀具磨损快和缠屑等问题,难以保证表面加工质量。利用自行组建的强压液态CO2供给系统,将低温CO2混合物高速射流作为冷却润滑介质,研究了低温CO2射流下高速切削TC4钛合金时的切削温度、切削力、刀具磨损、表面粗糙度以及切屑的断屑情况,并将其与干切削状况进行了对比分析。结果表明,低温CO2射流可有效降低切削温度,减小切削力,减轻切屑缠绕,抑制刀具磨损并提高已加工表面质量。     

高速干切削铁基粉末冶金零件时细晶粒硬质合金刀具的切削性能研究

用细晶粒硬质合金刀具进行了铁基粉末冶金零件的高速干切削试验。研究了切削参数与刀具耐用度以及加工表面粗糙度的关系,给出了刀具的主要磨损形态,通过能谱分析研究了刀具的磨损机理。结果表明:所选用细晶粒硬质合金刀具具有较高的刀具耐用度和较好的加工表面粗糙度,适合于铁基粉末冶金的加工;细晶粒硬质合金的主要磨损形态是前刀面的月牙洼磨损;主要磨损机理是扩散磨损、粘结磨损。     

Evaluation of carbide grades and a new cutting geometry for machining titanium alloys

A new cutting geometry consisting of a high clearance angle (from 10° to 15°) together with a high negative rake angle (from ?10° to ?15°) is proposed for increasing cemented tungsten carbide tool life during the machining of titanium alloys. This geometry would allow the use of a conventional insert (with an included angle of 90°) of any suitable shape (e.g. round, square or triangular) on a modified tool holder. The new geometry is found to yield longer tool life than does a high clearance angle (+15°) alone or a conventional tool with a low negative rake angle (?5°) and a low clearance angle (+5°). Further, the lower cobalt grade (Carboloy grade 999) and finer carbide grain size tools (Carboloy grade 895) are found to yield longer tool life than the higher cobalt grade medium carbide grain size tools (Carboloy grade 883), which are currently the most commonly used grade. A new ceramic tool material, an Si-Al-O-N compound, is found not to be suitable for machining titanium alloys because of rapid wear.     

Evaluation of machining performance in cryogenic machining of Inconel 718 and comparison with dry and MQL machining

There has been significant work on establishing relationships between machining performance and the cutting parameters for various work materials. Recent trends in machining research show that major efforts are being made to understand the impact of various cooling/lubrication methods on machining performance and surface integrity characteristics, all aimed at improving process and product performance. This study presents the experimental results of cryogenic machining of Inconel 718, a high-temperature aerospace alloy, and comparison of its performance in dry and minimum quantity lubrication machining. Experimental data on force components, progressive tool wear parameters such as flank wear, notch wear, crater wear, cutting temperature, chip morphology, and surface roughness/topography of machined samples are presented. New findings show that cryogenic machining is a promising research direction for machining of high-temperature aerospace alloy, Inconel 718, as it offers improved machining performance in terms of reduced tool wear, temperature, and improved surface quality. It was also found that the number of nozzles in cryogenic machining plays a vital role in controlling cutting forces and power consumption in cryogenic machining of Inconel 718.     

Influence of tool wear on surface roughness in hard turning using differently shaped ceramic tools

Hard turning has been applied in many cases in producing bearings, gears, cams, shafts, axels, and other mechanical components since the early 1980s. Mixed ceramics (aluminum oxide plus TiC or TiCN) is one of the two cutting tool materials (apart from PCBN) widely used for finish machining of hardened steel (HRC 50–65) parts, especially under dry machining conditions and moderate cutting speed ranging from 90 to 120 m/min. This paper reports an extensive characterization of the surface roughness generated during hard turning (HT) operations performed with conventional and wiper ceramic tools at variable feed rate and its changes originated from tool wear. Moreover, it compares some predominant tool wear patterns produced on the two types of ceramic inserts and their influence on the alteration of surface profiles. After the hard turning tests, the relevant changes of surface profiles and surface roughness parameters were successively registered and measured by a stylus profilometer. In this investigation, a set of 2D surface roughness parameters, as well as profile and surface characteristics, such as the amplitude distribution functions, bearing area curves and symmetrical curves of geometrical contact obtained for the machined surface, were determined and analyzed. A novel aspect of this research is that the notch wear progress at the secondary cutting (trailing) edges was found to produce the substantial modifications of the individual irregularities, and constitute the altered surface profiles. Moreover, this research contributes to practical aspects of HT technology due to exploring the relations between the tool state at different times within the tool life and the relevant surface roughness characterization.