Turning of interrupted and continuous hardened steel surfaces using ceramic and CBN cutting tools

In the machining of hardened steel surfaces, turning instead of grinding has been employed increasingly due to several advantages it offers, such as flexibility and the possibility of dry cutting. The main tool materials used for this purpose are CBN and ceramic due to their high hardness and, in the case of some grades of these materials, high chemical stability with iron. However, when interrupted surfaces are turned, the tool requires not only these properties but also sufficient toughness to resist impacts against workpiece interruptions. Therefore, the main goal of this work is to compare CBN and ceramic tools in continuous and interrupted cutting. To this end, several turning experiments were carried out on continuous surfaces (in this case, CBN with an added ceramic phase and a mixed ceramic were compared, due to their high chemical stability and hardness) and on interrupted surfaces (here, a high CBN content and a SiC-reinforced ceramic were compared due to their good ability to withstand impacts), applying different cutting speeds. The main conclusions of this work were that in both continuous and interrupted cutting, the CBN tools exhibited a much better performance with respect to both tool life and workpiece surface roughness than the ceramic tools.     

Experimental study on ultrasonic elliptical vibration cutting of hardened steel using PCD tools

Diamond tools cannot usually be applied for machining hardened steels while applying conventional cutting technique. As an alternative, ultrasonic elliptical vibration cutting (UEVC) technique was successfully applied for obtaining mirror surface on such steels using single crystal diamond (SCD) tools. In order to reduce production cost without compromising mirror surface quality, polycrystalline diamond (PCD) tools may be tested against highly expensive SCD tools. However, study on machining of hardened steel using PCD tools applying the UEVC technique has not yet been reported. The current research presents an experimental study on UEVC of hardened stainless steel (a typical Stavax, hardness 49 HRC) using the PCD tools. Face turning experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of three machining parameters: nominal depth of cut, feed rate, and nominal cutting speed on output performances such as cutting force, tool flank wear, surface roughness, and chip formation. Experimental results show that nominal cutting speed has very strong influence on the output performances, compared to the other two parameters. The surface roughness improves with a decrease in cutting speed. A mirror-like surface of approximately 804 mm² with a roughness value R_a of 11 nm was achieved at a lower cutting speed. Theoretical explanations have been given to support the results drawn from the UEVC experiments. It can be concluded that, while applying the UEVC technique, the inexpensive PCD tools instead of the SCD tools can be effectively applied to obtain optical surface for producing precise molds from the hardened steel.     

Development of new ceramic cutting tools with alumina coated carbide powders

An experimental investigation is carried out to coat two types of carbide powders, TiC and (W, Ti)C, with an alumina ceramic using a sol-gel technology. The coated carbide powders are then fabricated into two kinds of new ceramic tool materials by the hot pressing method. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation reveals that in general the matrix (carbide) grains are uniformly coated with the alumina ceramic and the microstructure of the new tool materials is more homogeneous than that of conventionally made ceramics. The tests of mechanical properties and wear resistance in machining are finally conducted. It is shown that when machining a mild carbon steel the new tool materials can increase the tool-life by up to 100% as compared to other two ceramic tool materials that have the same matrix but fabricated in the conventional way, while the fracture toughness is improved by up to 33%. When compared with a hard coated carbide tool, the new materials exhibit a superior ability in maintaining the wear resistance during the entire tool-life.     

PcBN加工淬硬钢刀具材料的研究

介绍了立方氮化硼刀具材料( PcBN)的制备过程,并制备了六种不同配方的样品加工淬硬钢.通过切削实验和性能检测,发现PcBN刀片在加工淬硬钢时cBN浓度起着关键作用,切削同样的路程,低浓度PcBN的后刀面磨损量小.经扫描电镜观察,CoAl合金粉能够提高PcBN烧结刀具材料的致密度.测量耐磨性时,证明用于金刚石复合片PC...     

PCBN刀具高速切削淬硬轴承钢的磨损机理研究

采用美国D.I.公司生产的BZN9000作为刀具材料制成PCBN刀具,在沈阳机床厂生产的CA6140A车床上对GCr15淬硬轴承钢进行高速切削试验。对切削试验后刀具的前、后刀面进行SEM形貌观察和EDS能谱分析,结果表明:PCBN刀具在高速切削过程中,机械磨损、黏着扩散磨损和化学磨损是刀具磨损的主要形式;前刀面磨损主要为月牙洼磨损,切削刃处、月牙洼后、前刀面处的黏着元素扩散比月牙洼底部还要严重;对后刀面的WDS线能谱分析证实,切削刃处的黏着元素扩散比后刀面要严重。      

Machinability study of tungsten carbide using PCD tools under ultrasonic elliptical vibration cutting

Sintered tungsten carbide (WC) is an extremely hard and brittle material extensively used in tool manufacturing industries. However, the current cutting technologies for shaping this typical hard-to-machine material are still cost ineffective. In this study, polycrystalline diamond (PCD) tools are used to study the machinability of sintered WC (~15% Co) by applying the ultrasonic elliptical vibration cutting (UEVC) technique. Firstly, it presents the UEVC principle and the effects of speed ratio (i.e. the ratio of the nominal cutting speed to the maximum tool vibration speed in the cutting direction) on the tool–workpiece relative motion as the cutting speed greatly influences the UEVC performance. Then UEVC experiments are carried out to analyze the cutting force, tool-wear progression, chip formation and surface quality against the cutting time at different speed ratios. The results show that when the speed ratio decreases, the resultant cutting force and the tool flank wear decrease while the surface finish improves. Average surface roughness, R_a, in a range between 0.030 and 0.050 μm is achieved at speed ratios less than 0.107. The experimental findings suggest that the commercial PCD tools can be used to machine sintered WC to achieve ultraprecision surface by applying the UEVC technique, which will be cost effective for miniature cutting technologies in future.     

陶瓷刀具在干切削加工中的应用

文章论述了陶瓷刀具的特点和切削性能,对陶瓷刀具在干切削中的使用进行了分析.     

Cutting performance of solid ceramic end milling tools in machining hardened AISI H13 steel

Ceramic tools have been widely used in the cutting of hard-to-machine materials, but the applications of solid ceramic milling cutters are limited due to their design and manufacturing restrictions. This research investigates the cutting performances of four solid ceramic end milling tools including Si₃N₄, Ti(C,N), SG4 and LT55 in machining hardened AISI H13 steel (HRC 60-62). The results show that the cutting forces of ceramic end milling tools are less than that of the referenced cemented carbide tool, and such ceramic tools of Si₃N₄, Ti(C,N) and LT55 produce better surface qualities and have longer tool lives. With excellent mechanical peoperties including hardness, bending srength and fracture toughness, the ceramic tool of Ti(C,N) presents the best cutting performance taking the cutting force, machined surface quality and tool life in consideration simultaneously. The research has proven the application feasibility of ceramic materials in the manufacture of solid tools. The solid ceramic end milling tools are geometric extensions for traditional ceramic tools and they can be used in machining hardened steels.     

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.     

Residual stress and surface roughness when facing age hardened Inconel 718 with CBN and ceramic cutting tools

The demand for increasing productivity when machining heat resistant super alloys has resulted in the use of advanced cutting tools such as ceramics and cubic boron nitride (CBN). However, the effects of these tools on the surface integrity, especially the residual stresses created, in the high speed facing operation of Inconel 718 has not been dealt with. In this paper, the residual stresses and the surface roughness when facing age hardened Inconel 718 using CBN and mixed ceramic cutting tools at their respective optimum performance based on productivity has been investigated. The residual stress and surface finish generated during facing with CBN cutting tools have been investigated as a function of speed, depth of cut, coolant, tool geometry and nature of the tool coating. In addition, mixed ceramic cutting tools have been investigated for comparison. The results show that mixed ceramic cutting tools induce tensile residual stresses with a much higher magnitude than CBN cutting tools. The residual stresses and the surface roughness generated by CBN cutting tools are more sensitive to cutting speeds than depth of cut. The use of coolant results in either compressive residual stresses or lowers the magnitude of the tensile residual stresses, whereas dry cutting always resulted in tensile residual stresses. From this investigation, it is suggested that round CBN cutting tools should be used at slow cutting speeds (150 m/min) and small depths of cut (0.05 mm) and with the use of coolant to achieve compressive or minimal tensile residual stresses and good surface finish.     

Ion implantation of superhard ceramic cutting tools

Despite numerous reports of tool life increase by ion implantation in machining operations, ion implantation applications of cutting tools remain limited, especially for ceramic tools. Mechanisms of tool-life improvement by implantation are not clearly established due to complexity of both implantation and tool-wear processes. In an attempt to improve performance of cubic boron nitride (CBN) tools for hard machining by ion implantation, a literature survey of ion-implanted cutting tools was carried out with a focus on mechanisms of tool-wear reduction by ion implantation. Implantation and machining experiments were then conducted to investigate implantation effects on CBN tools in hard machining. A batch of CBN tools was implanted with nitrogen ions at 150 keV and 2.5×10¹⁷ ions/cm² and further used to cut 61 HRc AISI 52100 steel at different conditions. Results show that ion implantation has strong effects on partsurface finish, moderate effect on cutting forces, but an insignificant impact on tool wear. Friction coefficients, estimated from measured cutting forces, are possibly reduced by ion implantation, which may improve surface finish. However, surprisingly, 2-D orthogonal cutting to evaluate tribological loading in hard machining showed no difference on contact stresses and friction coefficients between implanted and nonimplanted CBN tools. This paper was presented at the 2nd International Surface Engineering Congress sponsored by ASM International, on September 15–17, 2003, in Indianapolis, Indiana.     

The influence of the microstructure of hardened tool steel workpiece on the wear of PCBN cutting tools

Due to the recent developments of advanced cutting tool materials in the superbarasive family, such as cubic boron nitride (CBN) tools, the interest in cutting hardened steels has increased significantly. High flexibility and ability to manufacture complex workpiece geometry in one set up is the main advantage of hard turning compared to grinding. The focus of this study is to investigate the performance and wear behavior of CBN tools in finish, dry turning of four different hardened steels, treated to the same hardness R_c = 54. The following four materials were machined: X155CrMoV 12 cold work steel (AISI D2), X38CrMoV5 (AISI H11) hot work steel, 35NiCrMo16 hot work steel and 100Cr6 bearing steel (AISI 52100). A large variation in tool wear rate was observed in the machining of these steels. The tool flank grooves have been correlated to the microstructure of these steels, namely the presence of various carbides. The chip study reveals that there is presence of different amounts of white layers in machining these steels.     

PCBN刀具高速切削淬硬钢材料的研究

以PCBN复合片为刀具材料进行相关力学性能分析,并将其制成SNGN120408型刀具后在刀具机床上进行淬硬钢切削试验.分析结果表明:PCBN复合片的结合剂主要为TiN和TiB2,其内部结构均匀,且有良好的致密性.切削试验表明:在干式切削淬硬钢的试验中,切削进给量以及切削速度对PCBN刀具的磨损有较为明显的影响.相比于切...     

高速切削淬硬模具钢刀具磨损的对比实验研究

使用PCBN和陶瓷两种材质的刀具对淬硬模具钢Cr12MoV进行高速切削试验,深入研究了高速切削时的刀具寿命、刀具磨损形态和磨损原因,得出如下结论:相同的切削条件下,PCBN刀具寿命约为陶瓷刀具的2～3倍,当切削速度由153 m/min增大到241 m/min时,两种材质刀具寿命均下降50％以上;在相对低速下切削时,PCBN刀具和陶瓷刀具磨损形态主要为月牙洼和后刀面磨损,在相对高速下切削时,两种刀具均出现破损,破损形态主要包括崩刃和片状剥落等;PCBN刀具磨损原因主要为黏结磨损、氧化磨损和扩散磨损,陶瓷刀具的主要磨损原因有磨粒磨损、黏结磨损和扩散磨损;相同切削条件下,PCBN刀具抗磨粒磨损的能力好于陶瓷刀具,而陶瓷刀具的抗氧化性能要好于PCBN刀具;切削速度对刀具磨损原因有重要影响,随着切削速度的增大,磨粒磨损程度和黏结磨损程度均减弱.     

Comparison of tool life between ceramic and cubic boron nitride (CBN) cutting tools when machining hardened steels

This paper describes a comparison of tool life between ceramics and cubic boron nitride (CBN) cutting tools when machining hardened bearing steels using the Taguchi method. An orthogonal design, signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were employed to determine the effective cutting parameters on the tool life. First order linear and exponential models were carried out to find out the correlation between cutting time and independent variables. Second order regression model was also extended from the first order model when considering the effect of cutting speed (V), feed rate (f), hardness of cutting tool (TH) and two-way of interactions amongst V, f, TH variables. The results indicated that the V was found to be a dominant factor on the tool life, followed by the TH, lastly the f. The CBN cutting tool showed the best performance than that of ceramic based cutting tool. In addition, optimal testing parameter for cutting times was determined. The confirmation of experiment was conducted to verify the optimal testing parameter. Furthermore, the second order regression model and exponential model supported the first order model regarding the prediction capability. Improvements of the S/N ratio from initial testing parameters to optimal cutting parameters or prediction capability depended on the S/N ratio and ANOVA results. Moreover, the ANOVA indicated that the cutting speed was a higher significant but other parameters were also significant effects on the tool lives at 90% confidence level. The percentage contributions of the cutting speed, tool’s hardness, and feed rate were about 41.63, 32.68, and 25.22 on the tool life, respectively.     

Machinability of bronze–alumina composite with tungsten carbide cutting tool insert

Bronze–alumina metal matrix composites have been attracting the interest of researchers in recent years, as they have many advantageous characteristics. The mechanical properties of the bronze–alumina composite are improved by the addition of alumina in the matrix. In this present work, bronze was reinforced with 10 wt% alumina particles. The bronze–alumina composite was prepared by stir-casting method. Preheated alumina particles were introduced into the vortex of the molten alloy created by a rotating impeller. Machining studies were conducted on bronze and bronze–alumina composite using tungsten carbide cutting tool insert. The flank wear of the carbide tools on machining bronze–alumina composite is higher than on machining bronze because of the abrasive characteristics of alumina. The cutting force during machining of bronze is lower when compared to that on machining bronze–alumina composite. The bronze exhibited slightly better surface finish than bronze–alumina composite.     

Tool wear when turning hardened AISI 4340 with coated PCBN tools using finishing cutting conditions

Tool wear is one of the most important aspects in metal cutting, especially when machining hardened steels. The present work shows the results of tool wear, cutting force and surface finish obtained from the turning operation on hardened AISI 4340 using PCBN coated and uncoated edges. Three different coatings were tested using finishing conditions: TiAlN, TiAlN-nanocoating and AlCrN. The lowest tool wear happened with TiAlN-nanocoating followed by TiAlN, AlCrN and uncoated PCBN. Forces followed the same pattern, increasing in the same order, after flank wear appears. At the beginning of cutting, there was no significant difference amongst the coated tools, only the uncoated one showing higher cutting force. Ra values were between 0.7 and 1.2 μm with no large differences amongst the tools. Finite element method (FEM) simulations indicated that temperature at the chip–tool interface was around 800 °C in absence of flank wear, independently of coating. In that range only the TiAlN coating oxidize since AlCrN needs higher than 1000 °C. Therefore, due to a combination of high hardness in the cutting temperature range and the presence of an oxidizing layer, TiAlN-nanocoating performed better in terms of tool wear and surface roughness.     

Al_2O_3陶瓷/钢钎焊工艺

陶瓷与金属的连接广泛应用于航空航天、电子、仪器仪表、燃料电池等领域.采用活性钎料Cu70Ti30,Cu75Ti25,Cu80Ti20和Cu85Ti15对Al2O3陶瓷与Q235钢进行了真空钎焊.测量了各试样的抗弯强度和界面区的显微硬度.结果表明,Cu75Ti25是最佳钎料配比,钎焊温度1 100℃,保温时间20 min是最佳的钎焊工艺,该工艺下钎料充分熔化填充接头间隙并与陶瓷和钢侧相互扩散,形成由3层不同组织所构成的界面结合区,即液态钎料填充陶瓷微孔形成的反应层、Ti-Cu合金层以及钢侧扩散层;在界面结合区生成有AlCu4,Cu3TiO4,TiC,TiFe2等新相;界面结合区组织致密、无微孔等缺陷,实现了良好的冶金结合.     

Prediction of flank wear by using back propagation neural network modeling when cutting hardened H-13 steel with chamfered and honed CBN tools

Productivity and quality in the finish turning of hardened steels can be improved by utilizing predicted performance of the cutting tools. This paper combines predictive machining approach with neural network modeling of tool flank wear in order to estimate performance of chamfered and honed Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN) tools for a variety of cutting conditions. Experimental work has been performed in orthogonal cutting of hardened H-13 type tool steel using CBN tools. At the selected cutting conditions the forces have been measured using a piezoelectric dynamometer and data acquisition system. Simultaneously flank wear at the cutting edge has been monitored by using a tool makers microscope. The experimental force and wear data were utilized to train the developed simulation environment based on back propagation neural network modeling. A trained neural network system was used in predicting flank wear for various different cutting conditions. The developed prediction system was found to be capable of accurate tool wear classification for the range it had been trained.     

新型陶瓷刀具的发展与应用

回顾了陶瓷刀具的发展简况及其意义,重点介绍了Si3N4基和TiCN基复合陶瓷刀具的研制、性能和应用.复合Si3N4陶瓷刀具有较高的耐磨性和抗冲击性,特别适合于各类铸铁件的粗精加工,也能进行铣削、刨削等冲击力很大的加工,其切削效率可提高3～10倍;复合TiCN金属陶瓷刀具具有很高的硬度和耐磨性,特别适合于各类高硬高强钢(如淬硬钢等)的加工,可对高硬材料实现"以车代磨"干切削,免除退火工艺和冷却液,大幅度提高生产效率.新型复合陶瓷刀具已经在我国冶金、水泵、矿山机械、轴承、滚珠丝杠、汽车、军工等十几个行业得到应用.