A study of the tool life of TiC and TiC plus Al2O3 chemical vapour deposited tungsten carbide tools

Tool life characteristics were investigated for tungsten carbide cutting tools coated with TiC and with TiC plus Al₂O₃. A low carbon steel workpiece was turned on a lathe at a feed rate of 0.206 to 0.410 mm rev^–1 and a depth of cut of 0.1 to 0.5 mm for cutting velocities between 100 and 250 m min^–1. Data were analysed using both Taylor's tool life equation and Wu's tool life method. Results were similar for both methods but Wu's method seemed to give more consistent results. Compared to an uncoated tungsten carbide tool, the tool life of both the coated tools were from 5 to 7 times longer and the improvement was greater at higher cutting speeds. The TiC plus Al₂O₃ coated tool was slightly superior to the TiC coated tool. The wear mechanism and a possible explanation of increased tool life for the coated tools are discussed.