Crater wear mechanisms of TiCN–Ni–WC cermets during dry machining

TiCN–Ni-based cermets are attractive cutting tools because of the combination of high hardness and wear resistance with improved toughness and thermal shock resistance. The present work reports the effect of WC addition (0–15 wt.%) on the machining performance of TiCN–20 wt.% Ni cermets against boiler steel. The cutting force was measured on-line using dynamometer, with respect to varying cutting speed and feed rate, in dry and orthogonal cutting conditions. The principal aim of the present investigation is to evaluate the dominant mechanisms, responsible for material removal on the rake face of cermets, using SEM–EDS. The cutting performance of TiCN–Ni cermet is observed to improve with the addition of WC content upto 10 wt.%. While, the adhesion of tribochemical layer is dominant with limited WC content, the presence of abrasive grooves and pull-outs are observed for TiCN–20Ni cermets containing higher amount of WC (>10 wt.%).