Wear of Ceramic Cutting Tools in Ni-Based Superalloy Machining

The machining performance of monolithic and composite silicon nitride and Al₂O₃-based cutting tools in continuous turning of Inconel 718 was examined. The character of tool wear has been found to vary, depending on the feed rate and cutting speeds. At a lower cutting speed, of 120 m/min, tool life is restricted by depth-of-cut notching, while at high cutting speeds (300 m/min), tools fail due to nose wear and fracture. The sensitivity of monolithic Si₃N₄ and Al₂O₃ to depth-of-cut notching was found to he significantly reduced with the addition of SiC whiskers, and to a lesser extent with TiC particulates. The ceramic composites also exhibited resistance to nose and flank wear that was higher than that of the monoliths. The internal stress distribution for the cutting tool has been calculated using the finite element method and is the basis for explaining fracture beneath the rake face. Cutting tool wear results are discussed in terms of chemical and mechanical properties of the ceramic tool material, abrasive wear, thermal shock resistance, and metal cutting conditions.     

用于加工Inconel718的切削刀具发展现状

镍基高温合金Inconel718具有熔点高、热传导率低、加工硬化现象严重的特点,被认为是最难加工的金属材料之一。近年来,随着航空航天、能源动力技术的飞速发展,Inconel718高温合金的应用越来越多,其高速、高效切削的加工需求也日益扩张,其切削工艺的制定、尤其是切削刀具的选择越来越重要。本文综述了常用于加工In-conel718的刀具(高速钢、硬质合金、陶瓷、立方氮化硼)及其涂层刀具的加工性能,分析了不同涂层对于刀具寿命和工件表面质量的影响,对硬质合金刀具和陶瓷刀具作了详尽的对比分析。最后,对高速钢、陶瓷、硬质合金和立方氮化硼刀具切削Inconel718的应用情况进行了总结,给出了Inconel718高温合金切削加工刀具选择的有益参考。     

Surface Temperatures Generated by Friction with Ceramic Materials

For tribological applications of ceramics, surface temperatures and thermal effects produced in frictional processes are important not only in influencing possible mechanisms of friction, wear, and lubricant film failure but also in initiating protective film formation, e.g., as in tribopolymerization. As part of a continuing combined experimental and theoretical study of surface temperatures generated by friction, the fundamental Greens function approach has been applied to a number of ceramics including those used in tribological applications such as bearings and advanced low heat-rejection ceramic engines. The ceramics examined consisted of (a) alumina, Al₂O₃, (b) single crystal sapphire, Al₂O₃, (c) partially stabilized zirconia, ZrO₂, (d) tungsten carbide, WC, (e) silicon carbide, SiC, and (f) silicon nitride, Si₃N₄. In addition, three forms each of silicon carbide and silicon nitride were included in this study, i.e., sintered, hot-pressed, and reaction-bonded.

Assuming a single area of real contact, calculated ratios of average surface temperature rise to coefficient of friction plotted against area of contact, velocity, and load on a logarithmic scale are presented for all the above ceramics for A-on-A (self-mating) contact as well as an example of a ceramic in sliding contact against steel. The results show that as expected, very high surface temperatures can be generated by some ceramics, particularly those having very low thermal conductivity (e.g., zirconia), high hardness, or a combination of both. However, not all ceramic combinations produce high temperatures. It is suggested that the information developed may be useful in understanding the wear behavior of ceramics as well as in designing novel anti-wear approaches for ceramic lubrication.     

Performance and wear mechanisms of whisker-reinforced alumina, coated and uncoated PCBN tools when high-speed turning aged Inconel 718

Inconel 718, an efficient superalloy for energy and aerospace applications, is currently machined with cemented carbide tools at low speed (v _c?≈?60 m/min) due to its unfavorable mechanical and thermal properties. The article presents results of a study of superalloy machinability with whisker-reinforced alumina, uncoated and coated polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) tools. Turning of age-hardened Inconel 718 (45 HRC) was done under high-speed machining conditions (v _c?=?250…350 m/min). Aspects of tool life, tool wear, and generated surface quality were studied. Application of uncoated PCBN tools resulted in surface quality and force level superior to other tool materials. Considerable sideflow of workpiece material was found to affect surface quality, especially for coated PCBN and ceramic tools. It was found that protective function of the coating, which increases the tool life up to 20 %, is limited only to low cutting speed range. EDX and AFM analyses suggested dominance of chemical and abrasive wear mechanisms. EDX mapping of worn tools pointed absence of diffusional wear for PCBN tools and intensive degradation of whisker reinforcement in ceramic tools due to diffusion of Ni, Fe, and Cr.     

Cutting performance of Si<Subscript>3</Subscript>N<Subscript>4</Subscript>/TiC micro-nanocomposite ceramic tool in dry machining of hardened steel

A type of Si₃N₄/TiC micro-nanocomposite ceramic cutting tool material was fabricated using Si₃N₄ micro-matrix with Si₃N₄ and TiC nanoparticles. Cutting performance of the Si₃N₄/TiC ceramic cutting tool in dry cutting of hardened steel was investigated in comparison with a commercial Sialon insert. Hard turning experiments were carried out at three different cutting speeds, namely 97, 114, and 156 m/min. Feed rate (f) and depth of cut (a _p) were fixed at 0.1 mm/rev and 0.2 mm, respectively. Results showed that cutting temperature increased rapidly to nearly 1000 °C with increasing cutting speed. The two types of cutting tools featured similar wear behavior. However, the Si₃N₄/TiC micro-nanocomposite ceramic cutting tool exhibited better wear resistance than the Sialon tool. Morphologies of crater and flank wear were observed with a scanning electron microscope. Results indicated that wear variation of the two types of ceramic cutting tools differed in the same conditions. Wear of the Si₃N₄/TiC micro-nanocomposite ceramic cutting tool is mainly dominated by abrasion and adhesion, whereas that of the Sialon ceramic cutting tool is dominated by abrasion, adhesion, thermal shock cracking, and flaking.     

Experimental investigations from conventional to high speed milling on a 304-L stainless steel

Last years analytical or finite element models of milling become more efficient and focus on more physical aspects, nevertheless the milling process is still experimentally unknown on a wide range of use. This paper propose to analyse with accuracy milling operations by investigating the cutting forces values, shape of cutting forces curves obtained for different cutting speeds, and related phenomena as tool wear or tool run-out. These detailed experimental data in milling constitute a suitable experimental basis available to develop predictive machining modelling. All the tests have been conducted on the 304-L stainless steel in many cutting configurations and for different tool geometries. The machinability of the 304-L stainless steel with different tools geometries and configurations in shoulder milling is defined by three working zones: a conventional zone permitting stable cutting (low cutting speed; under 200–250 m.min^?1), a dead zone (unfavourable for cutting forces level and cutting stability; between 250 and 450 m.min^?1), and a high speed machining zone (high cutting speed; up to 450–500 m.min^?1). All the used criteria (cutting forces, chips, wear) confirm the existence of these different zones and a correlation is proposed with cutting perturbations as tool run-out, cutting instability, ploughing, and abrasive wear.     

CUTTING PERFORMANCE AND WEAR MECHANISM OF Si3N4-BASED NANOCOMPOSITE CERAMIC CUTTING TOOL IN MACHINING OF CAST IRON

A type of Si₃N₄-based nanocomposites ceramic cutting tool material was prepared by the addition of nano-scale Si₃N_4W whisker and nano-scale TiN particle. Cutting performance of the Si₃N₄/Si₃N_4W/TiN nanocomposite ceramic tool in machining of cast iron was investigated in comparison with a commercial sialon ceramic tool, and the tool wear mechanism was studied. The two types of cutting tools have similar cutting performance at relatively low cutting parameters, while Si₃N₄/Si₃N_4W/TiN nanocomposite tool exhibits a better wear resistance than sialon tool at the relatively high cutting parameters. The wear of sialon ceramic cutting tool is dominated by the plastic deformation, abrasive action, microcracking, pullout of grains and chemical action at the higher cutting parameters. The higher mechanical properties, and the refined matrix grains, intragranular TiN grains and dislocation in the microstructure improve the resistances to plastic deformation, microcracking, and pullout of grains for Si₃N₄/Si₃N_4W/TiN nanocomposite ceramic cutting tool. The wear of Si₃N₄/Si₃N_4W/TiN nanocomposite ceramic cutting tool is dominated by the abrasive and chemical actions at the higher cutting parameters.     

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.     

The effect of a thin coating of insulating material on the performance of cutting tools

The thermal properties of cutting tools have a dominant effect on metal cutting because of their influence on the length of the contact between the tool and the chip and on chip curvature. Low thermal conductivity of the tool is generally considered desirable.Experiments show that tools made from materials of high thermal conductivity but coated with layers of material of low conductivity have a cutting performance similar to that obtained when the whole tool is made from the material of low thermal conductivity even when the thickness of the coating is of the order of 5–10μm.A theoretical explanation of this behavior based on a discrete (i.e. non-continuum) model of the tool surface and on transient heat conduction considerations is presented.     

A study of the cutting-induced heating effect on the machined surface in ultra-precision raster milling of 6061 Al alloy

Ti-6Al-4V alloy is an attractive material in many industries due to its unique and excellent combination of strength to weight ratio and their resistance to corrosion. However, because of its low thermal conductivity and high chemical reactivity, Ti-6Al-4V alloy is generally classified as a difficult-to-cut material that can be characterized by low productivity and rapid tool wear rate even at conventional cutting speeds. It is well known that tool wear has a strong relationship with the cutting forces and a sound knowledge about correlation between cutting forces variation and tool wear propagation is vital to monitor and optimize the automatic manufacturing process. In the present study, high-speed end-milling of Ti-6Al-4V alloy with uncoated cemented tungsten carbide tools under dry cutting conditions is experimentally investigated. The main objective of this work is to analyze the tool wear and the cutting forces variation during high-speed end-milling Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The experimental results show that the major tool wear mechanisms in high-speed end-milling Ti-6Al-4V alloy with uncoated cemented tungsten carbide tools are adhesion and diffusion at the crater wear along with adhesion and abrasion at the flank wear. The cutting force component in the negative y-direction is more dominant of the three components and displays significantly higher magnitudes than that of the other two components in x- and z-directions. The variation of cutting force component F _y has a positive correlation with the tool wear propagation, which can be used as a tool wear indicator during automatic manufacturing process.     

Influence of vacuum-plasma nitride coatings on contact processes and a mechanism of wear of working surfaces of high-speed steel cutting tool at interrupted cutting

The paper presents the studies of mono- and multicomponent nitride vacuum and plasma coatings (Ti_{100 ? x} Al _x )N, etc. at interrupted cutting. The contact processes during milling and the effect of the coatings on cutting forces, coefficient of friction, tool surface tension, and tool vibration due to variable tangential forces are considered. The influence of the coatings on abrasive wear resistance and resistance to cracking at variable thermal power loading is proved.     

Thermal Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication of Ceramic Materials

ABSTRACT

The effect of thermal conductivity on point elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) contacts was discussed with representative engineering ceramics and steel by a non-Newtonian thermal EHL analysis. Through this investigation, fundamentals of EHL characteristics of contact surfaces composed of different thermal conductivities were generally revealed and a combination of optimum ceramic materials has been proposed. Furthermore, when the contacting materials are the same, it has been pointed out that the equivalent elastic modulus should be rather small and the thermal conductivity of the contact material should be high to obtain a thick overall film thickness and low film pressure.     

Evaluation of Hot Pressed Silicon Nitride as a Rolling Bearing Material

A series of tests has been conducted to evaluate the suitability of silicon nitride as a bearing material for rolling contact applications. The ability of silicon nitride to be lubricated by some conventional lubricants was found to be satisfactory. This was determined by wettability studies, lubricant film thickness and traction coefficient measurements on the optical EHD rig and friction coefficient measurements by the pin-on-disk method. The abrasive wear coefficient, measured on a lopping machine using 600 grit SiC abrasive, was found to be high compared to other ceramics. It was also dependent on the composition of the silicon nitride. Comparative rolling contact fatigue tests on steel and silicon nitride flat washers were conducted using steel rollers and balls. A high wear rate leading to grooving in the rolling track on silicon nitride was observed. The spalling resistance of silicon nitride was found to be higher than that of steel under the test conditions used. Surface interactions in the Si₃N₄-M50 steel contacts, detrimental to the life of the steel rolling elements, were recognized. Attempts were made to reduce the severity of these interactions and prolong the life of bearings containing ceramic elements.     

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.     

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.     

Free abrasive wire saw machining of ceramics

Currently, many kinds of ceramics are used in advanced industrial fields due to their superior mechanical properties, such as thermal, wear, corrosion resistance, and lightweight features. Wire saw machining ceramic (Al₂O₃) was investigated by ultrasonic vibration in this study. Taguchi approach is a powerful design tool for high-quality systems. Material removal rate, wafer surface roughness, steel wire wear, kerf width, and flatness during machining ceramic were selected as quality character factors to optimize the machining parameters (swinging angle, concentration, mixed grain and direction of ultrasonic vibration) to get the larger-the-better (material removal rate) and the smaller-the-better (wafer surface roughness, steel wire wear, kerf width and flatness) machining characteristics by Taguchi method. The results indicated that wire swinging produces a higher material removal rate and good wafer surface roughness. Ultrasonic vibration improved material removal rate, without affecting the flatness under different machining conditions. Experimental results show that the optimal wire saw machining parameters based on grey relational analysis can be determined effectively and material removal rate increases from 2.972 to 3.324 mm²/min, wafer surface roughness decreases from 0.37 to 0.34 μm, steel wire wear decreases from 0.78 to 0.77 μm, kerf width decreases from 0.352 to 0.350 mm, and flatness decreases from 7.51 to 7.22 μm are observed.     

CO2 Laser Processing On Ceramic Substrates Of Light Emitting Diode Assisted By Compressed Gas

The use of ceramic substrates in high power LEDs is becoming increasingly common. However, the brittleness of ceramics makes them difficult to process and susceptible to cracking. This study used a CO₂ laser with auxiliary gas to drill and cut Al₂O₃ and AlN ceramic substrates. The authors investigated the influences of parameters such as auxiliary gas pressure, laser power, repetition rate, and working speed on processing quality, in terms of pattern size, surface roughness, hole taper angle, and fracturing. The experiment results show that Al₂O₃ low-cost processing can be achieved with low laser power and high auxiliary gas pressure. In contrast, AlN has a high melting point and high thermal conductivity, for which lower auxiliary gas pressure is required to ensure high-quality processing.     

纳米氧化锆增韧氧化铝基陶瓷刀具切削性能的研究

研究了新型陶瓷刀具A15Zc和A20Z(c+m)切削淬硬T10A时的切削性能,并与已经商业化的陶瓷刀具SG4的切削性能进行了对比。分析了两种陶瓷刀具在低速切削(99.5m/min)和高速切削(268.5m/min)时的抗磨损能力和主要磨损形态。     

EFFECTS OF CUTTING SPEED WHEN TURNING AGE HARDENED INCONEL 718 WITH PCBN TOOLS OF BINDERLESS AND LOW-CBN GRADES

Application of polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) tools as an alternative for ceramic and cemented carbide tools in machining superalloys has been frequently identified as a solution for enhancing process efficiency but only a limited number of studies has been done in this area. The current study explores the effect of the cutting speed, which was varied in a wide range (2–14 m/s), on machinability of age hardened Inconel 718 with PCBN tools. Performance of binderless PCBN grade and grade with low-cBN content was evaluated in terms of tool life, tool wear, cutting forces and surface quality. Chip formation and process dynamics were analyzed as well. It was found that low-cBN grade provided 70–90% better surface finish and tool life than the binderless at moderate speeds (5–8 m/s). Performance of both grades at low and high speed ranges was non-satisfactory due to notching and flaking respectively. At low cutting speed adhesive wear plays a major role while as the speed increases a chemical wear becomes dominant.     

Wear of aligned silicon nitride under dry sliding conditions

The wear behaviour of textured silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) ceramics with aligned microstructures was analyzed under abrasive wear conditions. Dry reciprocating self-mated ball-on-flat wear tests were performed to study the influence of different microstructural plane/orientation combinations on the Si₃N₄ tribological behaviour. Textured materials showed superior wear resistance than non-textured reference Si₃N₄ for the whole range of loads and contact pressures, 5–50 N and 1.7–3.6 GPa, respectively, with an increase of about 70% for the maximum applied load. Within textured materials, the plane perpendicular to the extruding direction exhibited a 50% higher wear resistance (4 × 10^?5 mm³ N^?1 m^?1) than the parallel plane where the elongated grains were aligned. The severe wear process involved debonding, fracture and debris formation mechanisms. The progress of this sequence depended on the particular microstructure of each plane/orientation combination. A relationship between abrasive wear resistance and selected microstructural parameters has been established.