Wear mechanism of the loose layer on the rake face of a new cemented carbide micro groove turning tool

The loose layer can appear on the rake face of a turning tool under certain cutting conditions and have an important influence on the rake face wear. In this paper, wear morphology and wear mechanism of loose layer on the rake face of the original turning tool and the new cemented carbide micro groove turning tool developed independently during the cutting process are studied, by the combination of theoretical analysis and cutting test. And the relationships between the diffusion wear and the adhesive wear of the loose layer on the rake face of the new micro groove turning tool are further analyzed and revealed. The research results show that the loose layer on the rake face of two turning tools is caused by the diffusion wear, which is formed by the brittleness-weakening of tool material in the region resulting from elements diffusion. Meanwhile, the wear degree of the rake face of tools is aggravated by the mutual promotion of diffusion wear and adhesive wear. In the normal wear stage, the degree of looseness and brittleness of the rake face of the original turning tool is greater than the one of the micro groove turning tool. In the severe wear stage, cobalt elements in the rake face of the two turning tools are dissolved and diffused in varying degrees, which further aggravates the brittle-weakening of materials in the region. But the degree of loose brittleness of the rake face of the original turning tool is still greater than the one of the micro groove turning tool. It can be concluded that the micro groove on the rake face of the new turning tool can improve the rake face wear to a certain extent.