Influence of the magnetic field on the wear behavior of a cutting tool during the turning operations

This study concerns tests carried out without lubrication on a universal lathe to study the influence of the magnetic field on the wear of a cutting tool made of metallic carbide. The tests parameters are: the intensity of the magnetic field (from 0 to 28.5 kA.m^-1), the cutting speed (from 6 to 136 m.min^-1), the advance speed and the cut depth (pass). Both of the previous parameters are fixed respectively at 0.125 mm.rev^-1 and 0.5 mm. The material being cut is made of XC38 steel. The tool wear is evaluated by weighing method (before and after each test). The results showed that the magnetic field has an influence on wear and that there is a critical value (H = 16.5 kA.m^-1) for which wear is minimum. Also, the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and optical microscope observations revealed the existence of three types of wear that are: flank wear, crater wear and wear by plastic deformation. Moreover, we concluded that, the increase of the magnetic field modifies the shape and the morphology of chips and rises the contact temperature.