A metallurgical evaluation of tool wear and chip formation when machining pearlitic grey cast irons with dissimilar graphite morphologies

The need for superior in-service strength has meant that an increasing number of engineering components are now being made from pearlitic cast irons containing spheroidal graphite, rather than the more traditional cast irons containing flake graphite. Such changes of workpiece material have resulted in a rapid decline in tool life in many machining operations, particularly turning and facing.An investigation into the factors involved during chip formation which result in the observed patterns of tool wear is described in the work presented here. A series of turning tests were made on pearlitic grey cast irons containing flake (GA iron) and spheroidal (SG iron) graphite morphologies with cemented carbide (coated and uncoated) and ceramic tool materials. Built-up edge persisted to higher cutting speeds when cutting SG iron than GA iron, its periodic detachment causing attrition or fracture of the cutting edge. Smooth wear processes, probably caused by dissolution-diffusion and small strain discrete plastic deformation, were predominant on the rake and flank faces of the coated and ceramic tools when cutting both cast irons at high speed. Smooth wear was less rapid when cutting GA iron than SG iron because tool temperatures were reduced and “protective” nonmetallic layers, deposited from the chip-workpiece, interrupted dissolution-diffusion. When cutting SG iron, rapid wear of the uncoated cemented carbides was caused by attrition, while the relatively slower smooth wear, when cutting GA iron, was caused by dissolution-diffusion.