Wear mechanism of a coated carbide tool in cryogenic machining of AISI 4340

The purpose of this study is to investigate wear mechanisms of a multi-layered TiAlN/AlCrN-coated carbide tool during the milling of AISI 4340 steel under cryogenic machining.

The wear progression was measured using a toolmaker microscope and an optical microscope. Later, a field emission scanning electron microscope and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis were used to investigate the wear mechanisms in detail.

A comprehensive analysis revealed that the main causes of tool wear mechanisms were abrasion and adhesion wear on the flank face.

The investigations presented in this paper may be used by the machining industry to prolong the tool life at higher cutting speed by the application of liquid nitrogen.