Cutting performance and wear mechanism of nanoscale and microscale textured Al2O3/TiC ceramic tools in dry cutting of hardened steel

Nanoscale and microscale textures with different geometrical characteristics were fabricated on the surface of the Al₂O₃/TiC ceramic tool, and molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) solid lubricants were burnished into the textures. The effect of the textures on the cutting performance was investigated using the textured self-lubricated tools and conventional tools in dry cutting tests. The tool wear, cutting force, cutting temperature, friction coefficient, surface roughness and chip topography were measured. Results show that the cutting force, cutting temperature, friction coefficient and tool wear of nanoscale and microscale textured self-lubricated tools are significantly reduced compared with the conventional tool, and the developed tool with wavy microscale textures on the rake face is the most effective in improving the cutting performance. The textured self-lubricated tools increase the surface roughness of machined workpiece, while they can reduce the vibration for a stable cutting and produce more uniform surface quality. The chip topography is changed by the textured self-lubricated tools. As a result, the nanoscale and microscale textured self-lubricated tools effectively improve the cutting performance of conventional Al₂O₃/TiC ceramic tool, and they are applicable to a stable dry cutting of the hardened steel.     

Performance of carbide tools with textured rake-face filled with solid lubricants in dry cutting processes

Surface texturing with different geometrical characteristics was made on the rake face of the WC/Co carbide tools, molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) solid lubricants were filled into the textured rake-face. Dry cutting tests were carried out with these rake-face textured tools and a conventional tool. The effect of the texture shape on the cutting performance of these rake-face textured tools was investigated. Results show that the cutting forces, cutting temperature, and the friction coefficient at the tool-chip interface of the rake-face textured tools were significantly reduced compared with that of the conventional one. The rake-face textured tool with elliptical grooves on its rake face had the most improved cutting performance. Two mechanisms responsible were found, the first one is explained as the formation of a lubricating film with low shear strength at the tool-chip interface, which was released from the texturing and smeared on the rake face, and served as lubricating additive during dry cutting processes; the other one was explained by the reduced contact length at the tool-chip interface of the rake-face textured tools, which contributes to the decrease of the direct contact area between the chip and rake face.     

Self-lubrication of sintered ceramic tools with CaF2 additions in dry cutting

An Al₂O₃/TiC ceramic cutting tool with the additions of CaF₂ solid lubricant was produced by hot pressing. The fundamental properties of this ceramic cutting tool were examined. Dry machining tests were carried out on hardened steel and cast iron. The tool wear, the cutting forces, and the friction coefficient between the tool–chip interface were measured. It was shown that the friction coefficient at the tool–chip interface in dry cutting of hardened steel and cast iron with Al₂O₃/TiC/CaF₂ ceramic tool was reduced compared with that of Al₂O₃/TiC tool without CaF₂ solid lubricant. The mechanisms responsible were determined to be the formation of a self-lubricating film on the tool–chip interface, and the composition of this self-lubricating film was found to be mainly CaF₂ solid lubricant, which was released and smeared on the wear track of the tool rake face, and acted as lubricating additive between the tool–chip sliding couple during machining processes. The appearance of this self-lubricating film contributed to the decrease of the friction coefficient. Cutting speed was found to have a profound effect on this self-lubricating behavior.     

Performances of micro-textured WC-10Ni3Al cemented carbides cutting tool in turning of Ti6Al4V

Cutting performances of micro-textured WC-10Ni₃Al cutting tools compared with micro-textured WC-8Co cutting tools in turning of Ti6Al4V was investigated in this study. Cutting forces, cutting temperature, and tool life based on the criterion of a 300 μm flank wear were measured. The wear tracks of the rake face and flank face for micro-textured WC-10Ni₃Al cutting tools were analyzed. It is found that WC-10Ni₃Al cutting tools had smaller heat damages during LST compared with WC-8Co cutting tools, which was benefit for avoiding premature tool failure during Ti6Al4V machining process. Micro-textures on the rake face could effectively reduce cutting forces, cutting temperature, adhesion on the rake face, and hence increase tool life, especially at higher cutting speed.     

Influence of oxygen on the tool wear in machining

High temperatures generated in machining are known to facilitate oxidation wear. A controlled atmosphere chamber was developed to investigate the effects of oxygen on tool wear and high speed machining tests were conducted on air and in argon. Cemented carbide, cermet and cubic boron nitride tooling was used on alloyed steel, hardened tool steel and superalloy Alloy 718. Machining in argon resulted in higher flank wear, higher cutting forces, and larger tool–chip contact length on the rake face. However, in hard machining, argon atmosphere reduced rake cratering. Transmission electron microscopy of tools worn on air showed formation of nanocrystalline Al₂O₃ film on the rake when machining aluminium containing Alloy 718, while no oxide films was detectable in the other cases.     

A study of micropool lubricated cutting tool in machining of mild steel

This paper presents an experimental study of the performance of micropool lubricated cutting tool in machining mild steel. Microholes are made using femtosecond laser on the rake face of uncoated tungsten carbide (WC) cutting inserts. Finite element analysis is conducted to assess the effect of microholes on the mechanical integrity of the cutting inserts. Liquid (oil) and solid (tungsten disulfide) lubricants are used to fill the microholes to form micropools. A comparative study is conducted between micropool lubricated (surface-textured) cutting tools and dry/flood-cooled conventional (untextured) cutting tools. Three cutting force components are measured and compared. Tool–chip contact length and chip morphology are examined using optical microscope. It is found that the mean cutting forces (F_f, F_t, and F_c) are reduced by 10–30% with micropool lubrication. The chip–tool contact length is reduced by about 30%. Coiling chips are produced with micropool lubricated cutting tool while long and straight chips are formed with the conventional cutting tool. Liquid and solid lubricants are found to be equally effective in reducing the contact length and coefficient of friction at the chip–tool interface. There is no adverse effect on the performance of the insert with microholes on the rake face.     

A model for cutting forces generated during machining with self-propelled rotary tools

In this paper, a force model for self-propelled rotary tool is presented. Conventional oblique cutting force predictions were reviewed and extended to predict the cutting forces generated during machining with the self-propelled rotary tools. The model presented is based on Oxley's analysis and was verified by cutting tests using a typical self-propelled tool. Good agreement was obtained between the predicted and the experimentally measured forces under a wide range of cutting conditions. The effect of different cutting conditions on the friction coefficient along the chip/tool interface and tool rake face normal force were also presented and discussed.     

Novel cutting inserts with multi-channel irrigation at the chip-tool interface: Modelling,design and experiments

The friction at chip-tool interface can considerably affect the chip formation and consumed energy during cutting of superalloys. However, it is difficult to deliver the lubricant to the chip-tool interface to reduce the friction effect. Thus, this paper proposed a novel solution of insert design by locating macro-channels on the rake face which connect with the micro-channels for irrigating the coolant into the chip-tool interface, while considering the cooling and lubricating efficiency. A significant reduction of tool wear, cutting force and specific cutting energy has been demonstrated, while an improved chip fragmentation as well as microstructure has also been achieved.     

硬质合金刀具正交车铣TC4钛合金磨损形貌及机制分析

在车铣复合加工中心Mazak Integrex 200Y上,切削速度为v=150、200 m/min及干式切削条件下,采用硬质合金刀具H13A对钛合金TC4进行正交车铣(顺铣)磨损试验。研究表明高速正交车铣钛合金时,正常磨损阶段前刀面出现不同程度切屑黏结及积屑瘤,后刀面主要以黏结磨损为主,磨损相对均匀;急剧磨损阶段,前刀面切屑黏结加剧,形成连续切屑,缠绕刀具;后刀面由于黏结作用刀具材料被切屑黏结物带走,形成黏结凹坑。刀具磨损的主要原因为黏结磨损、氧化磨损,通过X射线电子能谱(XPS)证明刀具磨损表面有TiO_2、WO_3和Co_3O_4等氧化物生成,分析其对刀具磨损的影响。     

Wear behavior of Al2O3/Ti(C,N)/SiC new ceramic tool material when machining tool steel and cast iron

Design, fabrication and application of ceramic cutting tools are one of the important research topics in the field of metal cutting and advanced ceramic materials. In the present study, wear resistance of an advanced Al₂O₃/Ti(C,N)/SiC multiphase composite ceramic tool material have been studied when dry machining hardened tool steel and cast iron under different cutting conditions. Microstructures of the worn materials were observed with scanning electronic microscope to help analyze wear mechanisms. It is shown that when machining hardened tool steel at low speed wear mode of the kind of ceramic tool material is mainly flank wear with slight crater wear. The adhesion between tool and work piece is relatively weak. With the increase of cutting speed, cutting temperature increases consequently. As a result, the adhesion is intensified both in the crater area and flank face. The ceramic tool material has good wear resistance when machining grey cast iron with uniform flank wear. Wear mechanism is mainly abrasive wear at low cutting speed, while adhesion is intensified in the wear area at high cutting speed. Wear modes are dominantly rake face wear and flank wear in this case.     

On the closed form mechanistic modeling of milling: Specific cutting energy,torque, and power

Specific energy in metal cutting, defined as the energy expended in removing a unit volume of workpiece material, is formulated and determined using a previously developed closed form mechanistic force model for milling operations. Cutting power is computed from the cutting torque, cutting force, kinematics of the cutter, and the volumetric material removal rate. Closed form expressions for specific cutting energy were formulated and found to be functions of the process parameters: pressure and friction for both rake and flank surfaces and chip flow angle at the rake face of the tool. Friction is found to play a very important role in cutting torque and power. Experiments were carried out to determine the effects of feedrate, cutting speed, workpiece material, and flank wear land width on specific cutting energy. It was found that the specific cutting energy increases with a decrease in the chip thickness and with an increase in flank wear land.     

The study on lubrication action with water vapor as coolant and lubricant in cutting ANSI 304 stainless steel

Water vapor is a new type of environmental friendly coolant and lubricant. In this study, the friction test was carried out by using the water vapor as lubricant, and the friction pair was made of cement carbide K20 and ANSI 304 stainless steel. In order to study the lubricating action of water vapor as coolant and lubricant in cutting ANSI 304 stainless steel, experiments were carried out with K20 cutter. Through chemical state analyses of elements on tool–chip interface by means of XPS and Gibbs free energy calculation, the chemical reaction process was discussed between water molecule, oxygen atom and fresh tool–chip interface. Experimental results showed that an adsorption film and a tribo-chemical reaction film are formed on the tool–chip surfaces due to its excellent penetration performance and ability to form boundary lubrication layer. The multi-dimensional metal-oxide formed during the reaction weaken the mutual action between tool bulk material and chip. The cutting force and tool flank wear are reduced rapidly, and hence the tool wear is reduced about 50–75% compared with dry machining.     

Determination of tool friction in presence of flank wear and stress distribution based validation using finite element simulations in machining of titanium and nickel based alloys

Tool friction plays a very important role in machining titanium and nickel-based alloys and is an important parameter in Finite Element based machining simulations. It is the source for the high amount of heat generation, and as a result, the excessive flank wear during machining these materials. The worn tool is known to create poor surface qualities with high tensile surface residual stresses, machining induced surface hardening, and undesirable surface roughness. It is essential to develop a methodology to determine how and to what extent the friction is built up on the tool. This study facilitates a determination methodology to estimate the stress distributions on the rake and flank surfaces of the tool and resultant friction coefficients between the tool and the chip on tool rake face, and the tool and the workpiece on tool flank face. The methodology is applied to various tool edge radii and also utilized in solving stagnation point location on the tool edge. Predicted friction results are further validated with comparison of predicted stress distributions from FE simulations for machining of titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V and the nickel-based alloy IN-100. It was found that tool stresses and friction are mainly influenced by tool rake angle, edge radius, and tool flank wear and are slightly affected by the cutting conditions in the ranges that were considered in this study.     

表面微织构在切削过程中的研究进展

在切削过程中,临近切削刃的刀具前刀面与切屑、刀具后刀面与已加工表面接触区存在的高温高压情况严重影响了刀具服役寿命和工件表面完整性。表面微织构技术是一种先进的表面改性技术,在刀具表面制备不同尺寸参数、形状参数、分布参数的表面织构能够显著影响刀具的切削性能。当刀具表面微织构制备方法不同时,微织构所呈现的性能也不同。首先从制备技术的原理、制备过程、制备技术特点等方面对当前最先进的刀具表面微织构制备技术进行了综述。然后从切削力、切削温度、刀具磨损、切屑形成、工件表面完整性等角度分析了微织构对刀具切削性能的影响规律与机理。在分析切削力、切削温度、刀具磨损、切屑形成等4个指标时重点关注了刀具前刀面微织构所起的作用,在分析工件表面质量时,同时考虑了刀具后刀面微织构、前刀面微织构的影响。最后,介绍了当前微织构的研究热点,主要包括微织构技术与钝化刃口、润滑剂的协同作用对切削性能的影响,以及微织构刀具在切削过程中发生的衍生切削行为。通过对文献的归纳、总结与深入分析,给出了表面微织构未来的研究方向,为刀具进一步优化提供设计参考。     

Friction and cutting forces in cryogenic machining of Ti–6Al–4V

Conventional cutting fluid serves both as a coolant and lubricant. In cryogenic machining, liquid nitrogen (LN2) is recognized as an effective coolant due to its low temperature; however, its lubrication properties are not well known. The focus of this study was to investigate how the friction between the chip and the tool is affected by focused jetting LN2 to the cutting point in machining Ti–6Al–4V. Results of cutting force measurements indicated that the cold strengthening of titanium material increased the cutting force in cryogenic machining, but lower friction reduced the feed force. A mathematical model was developed to convert the measured 3D forces in oblique cutting into the normal and frictional force components on the tool rake face, and then to calculate the effective friction coefficient. It was found that the friction coefficient on the tool–chip interface was considerably reduced in cryogenic machining. Increased shear angle and decreased thickness of the secondary deformation zone, findings from a chip microstructure study, offer further evidence that friction is reduced.     

Turning characteristics of titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V with high-pressure cutting fluid

This study investigates the effect of high-pressure cutting fluid on the turning characteristics of Ti-6Al-4V alloy. A noncoated carbide tool was used to measure the cutting temperature using a tool-work thermocouple technique, and the cutting characteristics were evaluated with respect to the cutting temperature, chip breakability, and tool wear. Furthermore, the viability of TiAlN/AlCr₂O₃-coated tool was examined. The coolant jet when placed towards the cutting zone on the rake face is effective in reducing the cutting temperature because of the reduction in the chip-tool contact length. Based on this result, tools with a textured rake face were examined.     

PCD刀具高速干式切削铜合金的磨损研究

使用PCD刀具对锡青铜合金材料进行高速干式切削试验,分别采用扫描电镜（SEM）、X射线能谱仪（EDS）对刀具的磨损形貌进行观察和磨损区域化学成分进行分析,并以此研究了PCD刀具的磨损机理。结果表明:在高速干式切削条件下,PCD刀具主要表现为前刀面的片状剥落和后刀面的轻微破损;同时还伴随着机械应力和热应力冲击下的脆性破损,出现崩刃、切削刃整体断裂以及前后刀面的大面积剥落。刀具磨损的主要原因是高温作用下的氧化磨损和扩散磨损。      

A new thermomechanical model of cutting applied to turning operations. Part I. Theory

In this paper, an analytical approach is used to model the thermomechanical process of chip formation in a turning operation. In order to study the effects of the cutting edge geometry, it is important to analyse its global and local effects such as the chip flow direction, the cutting forces and the temperature distribution at the rake face. To take into account the real cutting edge geometry, the engaged part in cutting of the rounded nose is decomposed into a set of cutting edge elements. Thus each elementary chip produced by a straight cutting edge element, is obtained from an oblique cutting process. The fact that the local chip flow is imposed by the global chip movement is accounted for by considering appropriate interactions between adjacent chip elements. Consequently, a modified version of the oblique cutting model of Moufki et al. [Int. J. Mech. Sci. 42 (2000) 1205; Int. J. Mach. Tools Manufact. 44 (9) (2004) 971] is developed and applied to each cutting edge element in order to obtain the cutting forces and the temperature distributions along the rake face. The material characteristics such as strain rate sensitivity, strain hardening and thermal softening, the thermomechanical coupling and the inertia effects are taken into account in the modelling. The model can be used to predict the cutting forces, the global chip flow direction, the surface contact between chip and tool and the temperature distribution at the rake face which affects strongly the tool wear. Part II of this work consists in a parametric study where the effects of cutting conditions, cutting edge geometry, and friction at the tool–chip interface are investigated. The tendencies predicted by the model are also compared qualitatively with the experimental trends founded in the literature.     

Effect of femtosecond laser pretreatment on wear resistance of Al2O3/TiC ceramic tools in dry cutting

A femtosecond pulsed laser (pulse width: 120 fs, wavelength: 800 nm and repetition rate: 500 Hz) was used for the pretreatment on the rake face of Al₂O₃/TiC ceramic cutting tools. The evolution of surface morphology of pretreated cutting tools irradiated with different pulse energies was measured by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). Dry cutting tests were carried out with these pretreated tools and conventional tools on hardened steel. The effect of pulse energy on the wear resistance of these pretreated tools was investigated. Results show that the cutting forces have no significant difference between laser pretreated tools and the conventional tool; the cutting temperatures of laser pretreated tools were slightly reduced compared with the conventional tool. Meanwhile, we found that the laser pretreated tools increased the adhesions of chips on the rake face, but they can significantly improve the wear resistance of the rake face; and laser pulse energy was found to have a profound effect on the wear resistance of the laser pretreated tools.