Dry machining of silicon-aluminium alloys with CVD diamond brazed and directly coated Si3N4 ceramic tools

Silicon-aluminium alloys (Al-Si), with Si contents up to 20%, are important materials in automotive and aeronautical industries due to their low density and high wear resistance. The turning of these alloys has been done mainly by superhard tools like polycrystalline diamond (PCD). CVD diamond either as thin coatings on silicon nitride ceramics or as thick brazed tips on hard metals is alternative material. In this work, CVD diamond thin films were grown on Si₃N₄ ceramic substrates and thick CVD diamond plates were brazed onto WC-Co tools. These different inserts were used in dry turning of silicon-aluminium alloys with 12 wt% and 18 wt% Si. Both directly diamond coated and brazed tools are able to machine the Al-12 wt% Si alloy with negligible wear. In turning of Al-18 wt% Si, sharp edged tools yield lower cutting forces than the chamfered ones, with the occurrence of tool failure at about 500 and 100 m, respectively. CVD brazed tools proved to be able for dry turning this hypereutectic alloy, keeping the cutting forces below 60 N. Minimal wear was observed after 1500 m of cutting length, mainly caused by diamond chipping at the flank face.     

铝基碳化硅精密铣削刀具磨损实验研究

针对铝基碳化硅切削加工中刀具易磨损、寿命低、切削难度大和加工成本高等问题,选用不同材料的硬质合金铣刀及金刚石铣刀进行切削加工实验,并利用扫描电镜和工具显微镜对高体积分数铝基碳化硅铣削时刀具磨损形态进行了分析研究.研究表明:硬质合金刀具前刀面和刃口磨损主要形式为粘结磨损和微崩刃,后刀面磨损主要为刻划磨损,而金刚石铣刀加工时刀具磨损很小;YG6X铣刀材料微观组织致密,抗磨损能力较强,宜粗加工时选用;金刚石刀体的硬度远大于SiC颗粒,且金刚石与工件的摩擦系数小,金刚石铣刀寿命远大于硬质合金铣刀,宜精加工时选用.     

Effects of geometric angle and cutting speed on cutting forces and tool wear of ceramic cutting tools during peripheral up-milling of high-density fiberboard

In this paper, cutting forces and tool wear of ceramic cutting tools are investigated by up-milling high-density fiberboard under different geometric angles and cutting speeds. The results show that tangential force (F_t) and normal force (F_r) decrease with the increase of rake angle. The values of F_t and F_r at the higher speed cutting condition are lower than that at the lower speed condition. The flank wear (VB) declines with increased clearance angle and decreased cutting speed. The tool wear patterns observed on the ceramic cutting tools are pull-out of grain, cracking, tipping, and flanking. Abrasive wear and adhesive wear are the main mechanisms of the ceramic cutting tools. In all, on the premise of guaranteeing the ceramic cutting tools’ strength, the ceramic cutting tool with a bigger rake angle and clearance angle is advisable in high-density fiberboard machining, in terms of lowering the energy consumption and production cost required for machining.     

Chemical vapour deposition (CVD) diamond coated tools performance in machining of PEEK composites

This paper presents a study about the chemical vapour deposition (CVD) diamond coated tool performance in machining unreinforced PEEK and composite PEEK CF30 (reinforced with 30% of carbon fibres).

The experimental procedure consisted of turning operations, during which cutting forces and surface roughness obtained in composite workpieces were measured.

The obtained results showed a best cutting performance for CVD diamond coated tool in machining PEEK composites, particularly in terms of cutting forces and power consumption, when compared with polycrystalline diamond (PCD) and cemented carbide (K10) cutting tools. This fact is very important due to the minor production costs of CVD diamond coated tools in comparison with PCD tools.     

Nanosecond pulsed excimer laser machining of chemical vapour deposited diamond and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite: Part I An experimental investigation

A laser beam offers the benefits of high precision, contamination-free, high speed, and low bulk temperature for machining of chemically vapour deposited (CVD) diamond thin films that in turn enable ultrafine finishing of diamond coated cutting tool inserts and drills, and for finishing and drilling of diamond coated multichip module applications. In this work, laser hole drilling and polishing of CVD diamond (free-standing diamond and coated tool inserts) and HOPG (highly oriented pyrolytic graphite) using a 248 nm wavelength, 23 ns pulsed excimer laser were conducted. The threshold energy fluence required for ablation of diamond and graphite was nearly the same but the material removal rate rapidly increases with the energy fluence for the graphite compared to diamond. At an energy fluence of 10 J cm^-2, the depth removed per pulse was 0.05 μm and 0.30 μm for diamond and graphite respectively. Raman microprobe analysis indicates that the laser machining induced the transformation of diamond to disordered forms of carbon in CVD diamond and some transformation of graphite to diamond in HOPG. The experimental data indicates that the transformation of diamond to graphite requires an energy input of 1.44 × 10⁷ J per mole. For a given set of laser parameters, the depth per pulse was substantially higher for diamond coated tool inserts compared to the free-standing diamond. The surface roughness of CVD diamond was reduced by 0.25 μm per pulse at an energy fluence of 16 J cm^-2 This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Machining of Hypereutectic Al-Si Alloy with CVD Diamond Coated Si4N4. Inserts

Due to its excellent mechanical properties, diamond can be used for many applications in mechanical engineering. With the help of the Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) method it is possible to deposit polycrystalline diamond films on different substrate materials of nearly any shape and surface. So diamond cutting tools with complex geometry are now possible. In this investigation diamond coatings deposited by microwave plasma CVD (MW-PACVD) on Si₃N₄ inserts were used for turning experiments. By means of changes in the CH₄/H₂ gas ratio two different types of film morphology were generated, one rather highly faceted and the other one fine-grained ballas-type surface microstructure. The cutting performance of the CVD diamond coated triangular silicon nitride inserts was analyzed for continuous dry turning of the hypereutectic AISi 17Cu4Mg alloy with different cutting speeds. During the experiments no wear of the diamond films could be detected; nevertheless, the adhesion to the Si₃N₄ substrate has still to be improved. The results of the cutting tests gave valuable information for favorable geometry and clamping devices of cutting tools coated with CVD diamond and for suitable machining parameters.     

High-speed turning experiments on metal matrix composites

The hard abrasive ceramic component which increases the mechanical characteristics of metal matrix composites (MMC) causes quick wear and premature tool failure in the machining operations. The aim of the paper is to compare the behaviour of high rake angle carbide tools with their diamond coated versions in high-speed machining of an Al₂O₃Al 6061 MMC. The influence of the cutting parameters, in particular cutting feed and speed, on tool wear and surface finish has been investigated. The higher abrasion resistance of the coatings results in increased tool life performances and different chip formation mechanisms.     

Development of diamond coated tool and its performance in machining Al-11% Si alloy

An attempt has been made to deposit CVD diamond coating on conventional carbide tool using hot filament CVD process. ISO grade K10 turning inserts with SPGN 120308 geometry were used to deposit diamond coating. This diamond coating well covering the rake surface, cutting edges and flank surfaces could be successfully deposited. The coatings were characterized by SEM, XRD and Raman spectroscopy for coating quality, morphology etc. Performance of diamond coated tool relative to that of uncoated carbide tool was evaluated in turning Al-11% Si alloy under dry environment. The diamond coated tool outperformed the uncoated carbide tool which severely suffered from sizeable built-up edge formation leading not only to escalation of cutting forces but also poorer surface finish. In contrast, the diamond coated tool, owing to chemical inertness of diamond coating towards the work material, did not show any trace of edge built-up even in dry environment and could maintain low level of cutting forces and remarkably improved surface finish. It has been further revealed that success of the diamond coated tool depends primarily on adhesion of the diamond coating with the carbide substrate and this is strongly influenced by the pre-treatment of the carbide substrate surface before coating.     

Experimental examination of the cooling performance of Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube on the cutting tool nose point of the turret lathe through infrared thermography method

In the present study, the cooling performance of the Ranque-Hilsch Vortex tube (RHVT) was experimentally investigated by infrared thermography (IRT) method. For this purpose, experiments were conducted on the cutting tool nose point of the lathe at different diameters, cutting speeds and cutting depths for cases in which cooling was not performed and RHTV cooling was performed. The sample material was gray cast iron in the form of round bars with 15 mm and 20 mm diameter respectively and 100 mm length. The inserts were manufactured by Sandvik Inc., with the ISO designation of TNMG 160404 MF (Triangular insert). The inserts were rigidly mounted on three different right hand style tool holders designated by ISO as MTJNR-L2020 K16T. In all instances, the side rake angle and back rake angle are 0° and fixed. The performance of RHVT was determined by using the temperatures obtained from thermal images (TIs). TIs were taken from the FLIR E45 infrared camera at 30 frames per second. When all the experimental results were evaluated together, the maximum performance of RHVT was found to be for a diameter of sample = 15 mm; cutting depth = 3 mm; cutting speed = 800 rpm (P_15,3,800).     

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.     

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.     

Ranges of application of free-cutting steels and recommended tool materials

Abstract

Four low carbonfree-cutting steels (0·11% carbon resulphurised, 0·11% carbon leaded–resulphurised, 0·08% carbon resulphurised, and 0·15% carbon leaded) were turned, dry, with a series of six types of cutting tool in which rake angle, tool material, and coating were varied (5° rake, high speed steel, TiN coated and uncoated; 15° rake, high speed steel, TiN coated and uncoated; 5° rake, cemented carbide, TiN coated and uncoated) in order to determine the optimum tool–workpiece combination for three cutting speed ranges: a low speed range in which the built-up edge (BUE) was forming or about to form; a speed range covering the BUE regime; and a higher speed range in which the BUE became a built-up layer (BUL). Tool–workpiece interaction was assessed by measurement of cutting forces, chip form, surface finish, tool temperature, and wear. It is suggested by the results that the best combination in the low speed range is that of leaded–resulphurised steel and uncoated high speed steel. In the BUE range, the combination of leaded steels and uncoated tools should be avoided; at higher speeds, coated tools are preferred, with non-resulphurised leaded steel giving the lowest tool temperatures and highest cutting speeds before ultimate failure. These recommendations should be treated with caution and used only as guidelines.

MST/867     

三维调制靶模板的快速刀具伺服加工技术

采用快速刀具伺服技术(FTS)实现了非回转对称三维调制靶模板的精密车削加工.阐明了调制靶模板车削加工的基本原理,并提出一种基于坐标变换的金刚石刀具几何参数选择方法,推导了车削加工此类表面时金刚石刀具刀尖圆弧半径、前角和后角所需满足的条件.基于此提出了一种基于三次Hermite插值的刀尖圆弧半径补偿算法,并详细讨论了插值节点的计算方法.由刀尖圆弧半径补偿仿真结果可以看出,此补偿算法精度优于2 nm.在自行研制的精密金刚石车床上实现了X、Y方向上波长均为100μm、幅值均为0.7μm的正弦网格调制结构的加工.采用白光干涉仪对所加工的调制结构进行测量,并提取二维轮廓进行分析,其轮廓误差为0.31μm,表面粗糙度为13.3 nm.测量结果表明采用基于快速刀具伺服的非回转对称车削是实现三维调制靶模板制作的有效手段.     

Influence of melt treatments and polished CVD diamond coated insert on cutting force and surface integrity in turning of Al-7Si and Al-7Si-2.5Cu cast alloys

The microstructures, machinability and surface characteristics of Al-7Si and Al-7Si-2.5Cu cast alloys were studied after various melt treatments like grain refinement and modification. The results indicate that combined grain refined and modified Al-7Si-2.5Cu cast alloys have microstructures consisting of uniformly distributed α-Al grains, eutectic Al-silicon and fine CuAl₂ particles in the interdendritic region. These alloys exhibited better machinability and surface characteristics in the cast condition compared with the same alloy subjected to only grain refinement or modification. Performances of the turning inserts (uncoated and polished CVD diamond coated) were evaluated in machining Al-7Si and Al-7Si-2.5Cu cast alloys under dry environment using a lathe. The polished CVD diamond coated insert outperformed the uncoated cutting insert which suffered from sizeable edge buildup leading to higher cutting force and poor surface finish. The polished CVD diamond coated insert shows a very small steady wear without flaking of the diamond film during cutting. This paper attempts to investigate the influence of grain refinement, modification and combined action of both on the microstructural changes in the Al-7Si and Al-7Si-2.5Cu cast alloys and their machinability and surface finish when different turning inserts are used.     

Characterization of tool wear when machining alloy 718 with high-pressure cooling using conventional and surface-modified WC–Co tools

Coolant supplied by high pressure into the cutting zone has shown the lower thermal loads on the tool when machining difficult-to-cut materials as the Alloy 718. In this study, we investigate how the combination of high-pressure cooling and tool–surface modifications can lead to further improvements regarding tool life. The general approach is to enhance the coolant–tool interaction by increasing the contact area. Therefore, we machined cooling features into flank and rake faces of commercially available cemented tungsten carbide inserts. In this way, the surface area was increased by ~ 12%. After the cutting tests, the tools were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Compared with conventional tools, the tool modifications reduced the flank wear by 45% for the investigated cutting parameters. Furthermore, we were able to significantly increase the cutting speed and feed rate without failure of the tool. The investigated surface modifications have great potential to enhance the productivity of metal cutting processes.     

Influence of melt treatments and turning inserts on cutting force and surface integrity in turning of Al–7Si and Al–7Si–2.5Cu cast alloys

The microstructures, machinability and surface characteristics of Al–7Si and Al–7Si–2.5Cu cast alloys were studied after various melt treatments like grain refinement and modification. Results indicate that combined grain refined and modified Al–7Si–2.5Cu cast alloys have microstructures consisting of uniformly distributed α-Al grains, eutectic Al–silicon and fine CuAl₂ particles in the interdendritic region. These alloys exhibited better machinability and surface characteristics in the cast condition compared with the same alloy subjected to only grain refinement or modification. Performances of the turning inserts (Un-coated, PVD and Polished CVD diamond coated) were evaluated in machining Al–7Si and Al–7Si–2.5Cu cast alloys under dry environment using a lathe. The Polished CVD diamond coated insert outperformed the Un-coated or PVD-coated cutting inserts which suffered from sizeable edge buildup leading to higher cutting force and poor surface finish. The Polished CVD diamond coated insert shows a very small steady wear without flaking of the diamond film during cutting. This paper attempts to investigate the influence of grain refinement, modification and combined action of both on the microstrutural changes in the Al–7Si and Al–7Si–2.5Cu cast alloys and their machinability and surface finish when different turning inserts used.     

brittle-ductile TRANSITION IN DIAMOND CUTTING OF SILICON SINGLE CRYSTALS

Silicon single crystals are not amenable to conventional machining operations because of their inherent low fracture toughness. This paper deals with an investigation of brittle-ductile transition in diamond cutting of silicon from the viewpoint of material response and tool geometry. Micro indentation and scribing tests were conducted in order to investigate the influence of applied loads on the deformation characteristics. The transition of material removal from brittle to ductile was observed by continuously changing the cutting depth. The effect of tool rake angle on the machined surface quality was studied by actual diamond turning. A mirror surface, with a roughness of 5 nm R_a, was produced using a tool with a -25° rake angle. The reason for the difference in the machined surface quality is discussed based on the analysis of stress distribution in the microcutting process.     

Experimental study on the meso-scale milling of tungsten carbide WC-17.5Co with PCD end mills

Tungsten carbide is a material that is very difficult to cut, mainly owing to its extreme wear resistance. Its high value of yield strength, accompanied by extreme brittleness, renders its machinability extremely poor, with most tools failing. Even when cutting with tool materials of the highest quality, its mode of cutting is mainly brittle and marred by material cracking. The ductile mode of cutting is possible only at micro levels of depth of cut and feed rate. This study aims to investigate the possibility of milling the carbide material at a meso-scale using polycrystalline diamond (PCD) end mills. A series of end milling experiments were performed to study the effects of cutting speed, feed per tooth, and axial depth of cut on performance measures such as cutting forces, surface roughness, and tool wear. To characterize the wear of PCD tools, a new approach to measuring the level of damage sustained by the faces of the cutter's teeth is presented. Analyses of the experimental data show that the effects of all the cutting parameters on the three performance measures are significant. The major damage mode of the PCD end mills is found to be the intermittent micro-chipping. The progress of tool damage saw a long, stable, and steady period sandwiched between two short, abrupt, and intermittent periods. Cutting forces and surface roughness are found to rise with increments in the three cutting parameters, although the latter shows signs of reduction during the initial increase in cutting speed only. The results of this study find that an acceptable surface quality (average roughness R_a<0.2 μm) and tool life (cutting length L>600 mm) can be obtained under the conditions of the given cutting parameters. It indicates that milling with PCD tools at a meso-scale is a suitable machining method for tungsten carbides.The full text can be downloaded at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40436-020-00298-y     

Wear resistance of TiN coatings implanted with Al and N ions

Titanium nitride (TiN) coatings were prepared on HS 6-5-2 high-speed steel cutting inserts and next implanted either with Al ions (fluence 2×10¹⁷ ions/cm²) or with Al and N ions (fluence (1+1)×10¹⁷ ions/cm²) on the rake face. Microhardness and friction coefficient of the implanted surfaces were examined. A noticeable increase of microhardness in Al implanted inserts has been observed.The elemental composition and structural properties of the surface layer were examined by glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GDOES) and gliding angle X-ray diffraction (XRD).The tests of turning of 40 H constructional steel with the cutting inserts have shown an improvement in the implanted inserts, especially marked in those implanted with Al+N.     

Effect of methane concentration on physical properties of diamond-coated cemented carbide tool inserts obtained by hot-filament chemical vapour deposition

Diamond-coated tools can greatly improve the productivity of machining highly abrasive materials such as high silicon–aluminium alloys used in the automotive industry. Cemented-carbide diamond-coated tool inserts have not become an off-the-shelf product owing to several difficulties including insufficient adhesion of diamond to the substrate and questionable reproducibilty in their machining performance in the manufacturing. In order to overcome these difficulties, a better understanding of the effects of the chemical vapour deposition (CVD) conditions such as methane concentration, reactor pressure and substrate temperature is important. In this work, cemented tungsten carbide tool inserts with 6 wt% Co (WC–Co) were coated with diamond films deposited at five different methane concentrations (1–9 vol%). Here we present preliminary results of the effect of methane concentration variation on the following physical properties of the diamond coating: surface morphology; crystal structure; chemical quality; surface roughness; residual stress. The results indicate that the best physical properties of diamond-coated tool inserts using hot-filament CVD are achieved with diamond coatings deposited at methane concentrations ranging from 1 to 3%.