Economical and ecological cryogenic machining of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel

 While it is a clean alternative to conventional machining using environmentally polluting cutting oils and emulsions, cryogenic machining using liquid nitrogen has been reported to increase cutting forces and shorten tool life when cutting AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel. This paper presents improved results by using an economical cryogenic cooling approach designed after studying the cryogenic properties of the stainless steel material. By injecting a small amount of liquid nitrogen to the chip–tool interface, but not to the workpiece, this approach yielded a 67% tool-life improvement at 3.82 m/s and a 43% improvement at the medium speed of 3.40 m/s when compared with conventional emulsion cooling. It improved machining productivity and reduced production cost. In this study, different cryogenic machining approaches were compared in the machining test using commercial carbide inserts. The results show the cooling approach is crucial in attaining the benefits of cryogenic machining in cutting stainless steel. Received: 7 February 2000 / Accepted: 30 April 2000     

Cutting tool material selection using grey complex proportional assessment method

In today’s metalworking industry, many types of materials, ranging from high carbon steel to ceramics and diamonds, are used as cutting tools. Because of the wide range of conditions and requirements, no single cutting tool material meets all the needs of machining applications. Each tool material has its own properties and characteristics that make it best for a specific machining application. While evaluating a cutting tool material for a machining operation, the applicability is dependant on having the correct combination of its physical properties. Thus, it is extensively important to select the most appropriate cutting tool material with the desired properties for enhanced machining performance. This paper considers an exhaustive list of 19 cutting tool materials whose performance are evaluated based on ten selection criteria. The grey complex proportional assessment (COPRAS-G) method is then applied to solve this cutting tool material selection problem considering grey data in the decision matrix. Synthetic single crystal and polycrystal diamonds emerge out as the best two choices. Oil quenched tool steel (AISI O2) and powder metal tool steel (AISI A11) may also be used as the suitable cutting tool materials. Sialon and sintered reaction bonded silicon nitride are the worst chosen cutting tool materials.     

Effects of cryogenic cooling on surface layer alterations in machining of AISI 52100 steels

Abstract

Microstructural phase transformations, commonly known as white layer formation in hard turned steel components, have in recent times become an interesting research topic in machining as they are related to the surface integrity and functional performance of components. Three main theories have been proposed to justify the mechanisms of white layer formation: (1) rapid heating and quenching; (2) severe plastic deformation; and (3) surface reaction with the environment. Coolant application also affects the surface microstructural alterations resulting from machining operations, which have a significant influence on product performance and life. The present work aims at understanding the effects of cryogenic coolant application on the machined surface alterations during machining of hardened AISI 52100 bearing steel. Experiments were performed under dry and cryogenic cooling conditions using cubic boron nitride tool inserts with varying initial work material hardness, tool shape, cutting speed and feedrate. Optical and scanning electron microscopes (SEM) were used to analyse the affected layer in the machined subsurface, while X-ray diffraction technique was utilised to investigate the microstructural phase composition. The experimental results prove that the microstructural phase changes are heavily influenced by the cutting process parameters and the use of cryogenic cooling, in some cases leading to the total removal of martensite.     

Experimental investigation of tool wear and chip formation in cryogenic machining of titanium alloys

Titanium alloys are one of the most important design materials for the aircraft industry.The high strength-to-density-ratio and the compatibility with carbon fibre reinforced plastic are the reasons for a raising application in this field.The outstanding properties lead to challenging machining processes.High strength and low heat conductivity affect high mechanical and thermal loads for the cutting edge.Thus,the machining process is characterized by a rapid development of tool wear even at low cutting parameter.To reach a sufficient productivity it is necessary to dissipate the resulting heat from the cutting edge by a coolant.Therefore the cryogenic machining of two different titanium alloys is investigated in this work.The results point out the different behavior of the machining processes under cryogenic conditions because of the reduced thermal load for the cutting tool.According to this investigation,the cryogenic cooling with CO_2enables an increase of the tool life in comparison to emulsion based cooling principles when machining theα+β-titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V.The machining process of the high strength titanium alloy Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-6Mo requires an additional lubrication realized by a minimum quantity lubrication(MQL) with oil.This combined cooling leads to a smoother chip underside and to slender shear bands between the different chip segments.     

Experimental studies on the cryogenic machining of biodegradable ZK60 Mg alloy using micro-textured tools

Reducing the contact area between the cutting tool rake surface and chip promotes the machining performance of the work material and increases the tool life. Magnesium alloys are ductile-lightweight materials that form continuous chips during machining. The present investigation discusses the orthogonal turning of ZK60 magnesium alloy with linearly textured cutting inserts under both dry and liquid nitrogen (LN₂) cooling conditions. Linear grooves that are parallel and perpendicular to chip flow direction were created using Nd-YAG laser on the tungsten carbide cutting inserts. The effect of texturing combined with the application of LN₂ cooling is studied by evaluating the machining temperature and forces, microhardness, surface roughness and tool wear. Textured tools considerably minimize the liaison area of the chip with the rake plane compared to non-textured tools, which resulted in favorable effects in machinability. In case of cryogenic machining, textured tools substantially minimize the friction by the coupled effect of micro-pool lubrication and the formation of thin-film lubrication between the tool–chip/tool–work interfaces. Parallel-textured tools aided with cryogenic cooling exhibit superior performance during machining among the different types of tools employed in the present investigation.     

Experimental investigations on cryogenic cooling by liquid nitrogen in the end milling of hardened steel

Milling of hardened steel generates excessive heat during the chip formation process, which increases the temperature of cutting tool and accelerates tool wear. Application of conventional cutting fluid in milling process may not effectively control the heat generation also it has inherent health and environmental problems. To minimize health hazard and environmental problems caused by using conventional cutting fluid, a cryogenic cooling set up is developed to cool tool–chip interface using liquid nitrogen (LN₂). This paper presents results on the effect of LN₂ as a coolant on machinability of hardened AISI H13 tool steel for varying cutting speed in the range of 75–125 m/min during end milling with PVD TiAlN coated carbide inserts at a constant feed rate. The results show that machining with LN₂ lowers cutting temperature, tool flank wear, surface roughness and cutting forces as compared with dry and wet machining. With LN₂ cooling, it has been found that the cutting temperature was reduced by 57–60% and 37–42%; the tool flank wear was reduced by 29–34% and 10–12%; the surface roughness was decreased by 33–40% and 25–29% compared to dry and wet machining. The cutting forces also decreased moderately compared to dry and wet machining. This can be attributed to the fact that LN₂ machining provides better cooling and lubrication through substantial reduction in the cutting zone temperature.     

Surface finish prediction models for fine turning

Surface finish data were generated for aluminium alloy 390, ductile cast iron, medium carbon leaded steel 10L45, medium carbon alloy steel 4130, and inconel 718 for a wide range of machining conditions defined by cutting speed, feed and tool nose radius. These data were used to develop surface finish prediction models, as a function of cutting speed, feed, and tool nose radius, for each individual metal. A general purpose surface finish prediction model is also proposed for ductile cast iron, medium carbon leaded steel, and alloy steel. Statistical analysis of experimental data indicated that surface finish is strongly influenced by the type of metal, speed and feed of cut, and tool nose radius. While the effects of feed and tool nose radius on surface finish were generally consistent for all materials, the effect of cutting speed was not. The surface finish improved with speed for ductile cast iron, medium carbon leaded steel, medium carbon alloy steel, and aluminium alloy, but it deteriorated with speed for inconel. Apparently, speed effect on surface finish is not always positive. For all metals, the surface finish improved with the tool nose radius while it deteriorated with speed.     

Tool wear in cryogenic turning of Ti-6Al-4V alloy

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. Rapid tool wear encountered in machining of titanium alloys is a challenge that needs to be overcome. Cryogenic machining with liquid nitrogen as coolant is being investigated by researchers to reduce the cutting zone temperatures and enhance the tool life. The effects of cryogenic cooling have been studied on growth and nature tool wear in the present investigation while turning Ti-6Al-4V alloy bars with microcrystalline uncoated carbide inserts under dry, wet and cryogenic cooling environments in the cutting velocity range of 70-100 m/min. Cryogenic cooling by liquid nitrogen jets enabled substantial improvement in tool life through reduction in adhesion-dissolution-diffusion tool wear through control of machining temperature desirably at the cutting zone.     

Cryogenic turning of the Ti–6Al–4V alloy with modified cutting tool inserts

Productivity in the machining of titanium alloys is adversely affected by rapid tool wear as a consequence of high cutting zone temperature. Conventional cutting fluids are ineffective in controlling the cutting temperature in the cutting zone. In this research work, an attempt has been made to investigate the effect of liquid nitrogen when it is applied to the rake surface, and the main and auxiliary flank surfaces through holes made in the cutting tool insert during the turning of the Ti–6Al–4V alloy. The cryogenic results of the cutting temperature, cutting forces, surface roughness and tool wear of the modified cutting tool insert have been compared with those of wet machining. It has been observed that in the cryogenic cooling method, the cutting temperature was reduced by 61–66% and the surface roughness was reduced to a maximum of 36% over wet machining. The cutting force was decreased by 35–42% and the flank wear was reduced by 27–39% in cryogenic cooling over that of wet machining. Cryogenic cooling enabled a substantial reduction in the geometry of tool wear through the control of the tool wear mechanisms. The application of liquid nitrogen to the heat generation zones through holes made in the cutting tool insert was considered to be more effective over conventional machining.     

Investigating the Machinability of AISI 420 Stainless Steel Using Factorial Design

This work aims at studying the machining characteristics of high-strength materials using carbide cutting tool inserts at different cutting conditions. This is an essential step in building up an accurate machining information system. The tested material is high-strength stainless steel of the AISI 420 type. Machining tests were carried out using orthogonal cutting conducted to investigate the machining characteristics for high-strength stainless steel AISI 420 at different cutting conditions and tool rake angles. This assessment is achieved by investigating the effect of cutting parameters (cutting speed, feed, depth of cut, and tool geometry) on cutting forces, specific cutting energy, shear angle, coefficient of friction, shear stress, shear strain, and shear strain rate. Empirical equations and a correlation for the behavior of each of the output responses were investigated as a function of the independent variables. Main effect and interaction plot were presented for the most influential factors affecting the main cutting force and the power consumed.     

Effect of cryogenic minimum quantity lubrication on machinability of diamond tool in ultraprecision turning of 3Cr2NiMo steel

This work presents a series of experimental investigations and corresponding theoretical analyses to research on the effect of cryogenic minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) on machinability of diamond tool in ultraprecision turning of typical die steel. The tool wear and machined surface quality were determined as experimental indexes, which were measured using the scanning electron microscope and surface profiler, respectively. Besides, the maximum temperatures of diamond tool surfaces acquired by infrared thermal imager were used to indirectly evaluate the cutting process. The experimental results revealed that cryogenic MQL had obvious advantages in improving diamond tool durability and machined surface quality by comparison with flood cooling, cryogenic gas cooling, and MQL, and its essential function mechanisms were thoroughly understood. On the basis of this, carbon nanofluid was found to achieve optimal tool life in diamond turning compared with polyethylene glycol, castor oil, synthetic ester, and emulsified liquid. Ultimately, the combined machining method of ultrasonic vibration-assisted turning and cryogenic minimal quantity lubrication was proposed in this work. The results showed that this technique could observably improve the machinability of diamond tool and also provide a new direction for exploring a suitable processing method for ultraprecision machining of ferrous materials.     

Environment Friendly Machining of Ni–Cr–Co Based Super Alloy using Different Sustainable Techniques

In order to eradicate the use of mineral based cutting fluid, the machining of Ni–Cr–Co based Nimonic 90 alloy was conducted using environment friendly sustainable techniques. In this work, uncoated tungsten carbide inserts were employed for the machining under dry (untreated and cryogenically treated), MQL, and cryogenic cutting modes. The influence of all these techniques was examined by considering tool wear, surface finish, chip contact length, chip thickness, and chip morphology. It was found that the cryogenically treated tools outperformed the untreated tools at 40 m/min. At cutting speed of 80 m/min, MQL and direct cooling with liquid nitrogen brought down the flank wear by 50% in comparison to dry machining. Similarly at higher cutting speed, MQL and cryogenic cooling techniques provided the significant improvement in terms of nose wear, crater wear area, and chip thickness value. However, both dry and MQL modes outperformed the cryogenic cooling machining in terms of surface roughness value at all the cutting speeds. Overall cryotreated tools was able to provide satisfactory results at lower speed (40 m/min). Whereas both MQL and cryogenic cooling methods provided the significantly improved results at higher cutting speeds (60 and 80 m/min) over dry machining.     

Formulation and performance evaluation of a novel coconut oil–based metalworking fluid

Metalworking fluid (MWF) supplies a film of lubricant to abate friction, acts as a cooling media to rebate induced heat, and prevents metal pick-ups by flushing away the chips. Hence a liquid used as a cutting fluid reduces wear on the tool, reduces the energy consumption, and produces a better surface quality on the work piece. This paper describes the formulation of a novel water-soluble MWF and its performance evaluation during straight turning and end milling experiments carried out with AISI 304 stainless steel, mild steel, and cast iron as work piece materials. The MWF was prepared by mixing water with white coconut oil as the base oil and food-grade additives as surfactants. Viscosity, pH value, and biodegradability were measured and compared with a commercially available non-vegetable oil–based MWF. The surface roughness and tool surface temperature were measured throughout the machining experiments, and better performances were observed with the coconut oil–based MWF. Tool tip geometry and flank wear for straight turning machining operation were identified by observing scanning electron microscope (SEM) images.     

Optimizing the performance of high speed steel circular saw blades machining cupro 107, Inconel 600L and Nimonic PK31 nickel based alloys

Nickel based alloys are machined by methods similar to those used to cut ferrous materials, however there are additional process requirements due to the poor machinability of these alloys. The current paper reports on work undertaken to optimize the cutting conditions for high speed steel circular saw blades machining materials from three of the principal categories of nickel based alloy.Techniques have been developed and verified that simulate the cutting characteristics of multi-point cutting tools by testing blade segments that contain representative teeth. The cutting behaviour of high speed steel circular saw blades have been simulated in this manner. Materials from three of the principal classifications of nickel based alloy; Cupro 107, Inconel 600L and Nimonic PK31, have been machined over a range of cutting feeds and speeds. Cutting and thrust forces were measured and the performance criteria, specific cutting energy (Esp) evaluated. Optimized cutting conditions for each material were determined from curves of Esp against feed rate at the selected cutting speeds.In an area of high product and material costs, the information contained within this paper will be of interest to the manufacturing engineer and end user when appraising the suitability of high speed steel circular saw blades as a tool for machining these materials.Inconel 600L and Nimonic PK31 are registered trademarks of the Inco Family of Companies.     

Performance evaluation of cryogenic cooling in reaming titanium alloy

Removal of materials in metal cutting operations through drilling and reaming of hard materials is a difficult process. Wear of the tool and high cutting zone temperature have big effect on it. In this study, experiments have been carried out in a reaming operation on titanium alloy material under flood and cryogenic LN₂ cooling separately. Cutting speed, feed rate, and hole depth (constant) are the three input variable parameters. Torque (M_t), thrust force (F_t), cutting temperature (T), quality of the hole, surface roughness (R_a), and chip morphology are the output parameters. In both cooling conditions, each of the nine experiments based on orthogonal array (OA) L₉ were conducted under both cooling conditions. Based on the results obtained, cutting temperature was reduced by 12–21%, thrust force reduction is 17–32%, and torque reduction is 7–30% in cryogenic LN₂ cooling. Surface roughness is increased by 4–15% and hole quality (circularity and cylindricity) parameters are affected in cryogenic LN₂ cooling with respect to flood cooling. Better chip breaking was found in both flood and cryogenic LN₂ cooling. No drastic changes were observed in microstructure under both cooling conditions.     

Numerical simulation of finish hard turning for AISI H13 die steel

A coupled thermo-mechanical model of plane-strain orthogonal turning of hardened steel was presented. In general, the flow stress models used in computer simulation of machining processes are a function of effective strain, effective strain rate and temperature developed during the cutting process. However, these models do not adequately describe the material behavior in hard machining, where the workpiece material is machined in its hardened condition. This hardness modifies the strength and work hardening characteristics of the material being cut. So, the flow stress of the work-material was taken with literature [H. Yan, J. Hua, R. Shivpuri, Development of flow stress model for hard machining of AISI H13 work tool steel. The Fourth International Conference on Physical and Numerical Simulation of Materials Processing, Shanghui in China, 2004, p. 5] in order to take into account the effect of the large strain, strain-rate, temperature and initial workpiece hardness. Then a series of numerical simulations had been done to investigate the effect of machining parameters on the machinability of hardened steel AISI H13 in finish turning process. The results obtained are helpful for optimizing process parameters and improving the design of cutting inserts in finish turning of hardened steel AISI H13.     

Machining of high performance workpiece materials with CBN coated cutting tools

The machining of high performance workpiece materials requires significantly harder cutting materials. In hard machining, the early tool wear occurs due to high process forces and temperatures. The hardest known material is the diamond, but steel materials cannot be machined with diamond tools because of the reactivity of iron with carbon. Cubic boron nitride (cBN) is the second hardest of all known materials. The supply of such PcBN indexable inserts, which are only geometrically simple and available, requires several work procedures and is cost-intensive. The development of a cBN coating for cutting tools, combine the advantages of a thin film system and of cBN. Flexible cemented carbide tools, in respect to the geometry can be coated. The cBN films with a thickness of up to 2 µm on cemented carbide substrates show excellent mechanical and physical properties. This paper describes the results of the machining of various workpiece materials in turning and milling operations regarding the tool life, resultant cutting force components and workpiece surface roughness. In turning tests of Inconel 718 and milling tests of chrome steel the high potential of cBN coatings for dry machining was proven. The results of the experiments were compared with common used tool coatings for the hard machining. Additionally, the wear mechanisms adhesion, abrasion, surface fatigue and tribo-oxidation were researched in model wear experiments.     

Application of low Ms temperature consumable to dissimilar welded joint

Abstract

The welding of dissimilar joints is very common in systems used in oil exploration and production in deep sea waters. Commonly involves welding of low carbon steel pipes with low alloy steel forgings both with inner Inconel clad. The forged steel part undergoes a process of buttering with Inconel or carbon steel electrode before the weld of the joint. The buttering process is followed by a process of residual stresses relief. The conventional way of reducing the level of residual stresses in welded joints is to apply post welding heat treatments. Depending on the size and complexity of the parts to be joined, this can become a serious problem. An alternative technique for reducing residual stresses is to use an electrode that during the cooling process undergoes a displacive transformation at a relatively low temperature so that the deformation resulting from the transformation compensates the contraction during the cooling process, and, although many papers have been published in this direction using Fe–Cr–Ni alloys, most of them report a loss of toughness in the weld metal. Maraging steel is a family of materials with M_s temperature below 200°C and even without the final heat treatment of aging has superior mechanical properties to low alloy steels used in forgings. In this work, forged piece of AISI 4130 was buttered with Maraging 350 weld consumable and subsequently welded to ASTM A36 steel using Inconel 625 filler metal. In addition, the dissimilar base metal plates were welded together using Maraging 350 steel weld consumable. The levels of residual stress, and the toughness and microstructures of heat affected zone and weld metal were investigated.     

Drehen und Fräsen pulvermetallurgischer Hartlegierungen für warmgehende Werkzeuge

Turning and Milling of Powder Metallurgical Hard Alloys for Tools in Hot Working Applications Hard metals are high wear resistant materials. The microstructure of these composites consists of hard phases which are embedded in a metal matrix. The high hardness and the high content of the hard phases lead to a difficult machining of these materials. The present study investigates the turning and milling of D3 cold work steel (X210 Cr 12) and the powder metallurgical Fe‐based alloys ASP60 and ASP23 + WC/W₂C. The cutting tool materials were polycrystalline cubic boron nitrides (CBN) and ceramic inserts. The machining process could be judged by means of tool wear and machining quality (surface roughness and changes in the surface near zone). The investigations illustrate that the machinability of the different hard metals depends on the cutting speed and the cutting tool material.     

A sustainable alternative for cooling the machining processes using a refrigerant fluid in recirculation inside the toolholder

This article presents a cooling system for cutting tool in turning based in a toolholder with cooling fluid flowing inside its body being that this fluid must necessarily be able to phase change due to heat generated from machining processes. In this way, the fluid evaporates just under the cutting tool allowing a heat transfer more efficient than if were used a fluid without phase change once the latent heat of evaporation is beneficial for removal heat. Following, the cooling fluid evaporated passes through a condenser located out of the toolholder where it is condensated and returns to the toolholder again and a new cycle is started. In this study, the R-123, a hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) fluid, was selected for the turning of a Cr–Ni–Nb–Mn–N austenitic steel of hard machinability. The machining tests were carried out under three different machining conditions: dry machining, external cutting fluid (conventional method), and with the toolholder proposed. As result, the developed system allows a surface roughness up to 10% better than dry machining and a tool life close to the conventional method, but 32% superior to dry machining; moreover, there are environmental and economics advantages once the cooling fluid is maintained in a loop circuit.