Tool Wear Characteristics in Near-Dry Cutting of Ni-Based Superalloy

Recently, high-combustion-efficiency jet engines have become required in the aircraft industry. High burning temperatures are necessary to maximize the combustion efficiency of jet engines. Inconel 718, which has excellent mechanical and chemical properties, has been selected for use in many jet engine parts. However, Inconel 718 is a difficult material to cut because of its low thermal conductivity. Consequently, wet cutting is typically used to reduce the heat generated in cutting Inconel 718. Wet cutting, which uses a large amount of cutting fluid, is costly and requires considerable energy for maintenance and disposal of the cutting fluid, making this cutting method environmentally unfriendly. To reduce the associated cost and environmental load, the near-dry cutting method, which uses a very small amount of cutting fluid, may be preferable for cylindrical cutting of Inconel 718. However, this method has some drawbacks, such as the cutting stock removal rate and the wear on cemented carbide tools. For example, the cutting stock removal rate is lower than with wet cutting because cutting edge fracture occurs easily in near-dry cutting. In this study, we conducted experiments to examine the relationships between the tool materials, cutting speed and tool fracture in near-dry cutting and wet cutting, and we compared the results obtained using the two cutting methods. We found that an S05-type cemented carbide coating can reduce tool wear. We also found that in the early stages of cutting, between cutting speeds of V = 50 and 90 m/min, the tool wear can be comparatively reduced.