This study investigated the influence of cryogenic cooling on chip formation and morphology during the turning of aluminum–silicon carbide (A359/SiC-20wt%) composites using an uncoated tungsten carbide cutting tool. The primary objective was to enhance the cutting conditions and improve the overall efficacy of the machining process for aluminum composite materials. Compared with dry machining, cryogenic cooling significantly altered the chip formation process, producing shorter and less curled chips at all tested cutting speeds. The rake and dual cooling strategies proved to be the most effective in terms of chip breakability, despite the relatively unchanged tool-chip contact length (chip ratio increased up to 25% and chip curl increased up to 20%). Cryogenic cooling also led to a reduction in average chip thickness, particularly with the dual cooling strategy, contributing to improved material removal efficiency. Microstructural analysis revealed that under cryo-cooling conditions, the hard SiC particles were distributed more uniformly within the chips, in contrast to the particle redistribution along the shear bands observed in dry cutting. Chip separation is primarily facilitated by the formation and propagation of cracks and microcracks along the matrix-particle interface, leading to noticeably frayed chip edges and improved breakability. The study also examined the effects of cutting speed and cooling strategy on chip characteristics, such as chip curl diameter, average chip thickness, chip compression ratio, and shear angle. For example, the chip curl diameter decreased by 18% with cutting speed and the shear angle increased by 16%. These findings contribute to the understanding of machining aluminum matrix composites under cryogenic conditions and provide insights for optimizing cutting parameters to enhance the machining performance, tool life, and surface quality.

This study evaluated the feasibility of laser-textured biomimetic designs for cutting tools to investigate the effects of laser-textured tools combined with cryogenic cooling using liquid nitrogen (LN2) on the tool-chip interface, built-up edge (BUE) formation, and friction during Al-MMC machining. This study involved selecting a biomimetic design, converting it into a textured cutting tool, evaluating the coefficient of friction (CoF) and cutting forces on the textured surface under dry conditions, and using cryogenic LN2 as a coolant with the textured tool. Femtosecond lasers were used to precisely create biomimetic surfaces near the rake face edge without compromising tool integrity. The pin-on-disc method revealed no significant CoF difference between plain and textured tools or among textured tools within the determinate pin load impact. Dry machining tests showed a higher CoF than the pin-on-disc method owing to strong workpiece material adhesion. Cutting force analysis under dry and textured conditions showed negligible effects on aggregate force components, although textured tools had a higher feed force than untextured ones. Cryogenic cooling with plain tools reduced BUE height, TCClength, and TCCarea compared to dry conditions. Textured tools in dry conditions increased BUE height and acted as chip breakers, reducing TCClength and TCCarea compared to dry plain tools. Most textured tools with cryogenic cooling reduced the BUE height, TCClength, and TCCarea compared to their dry-textured counterparts. The findings suggest that combining biomimetic textured cutting tools with cryogenic machining is a promising approach for sustainable manufacturing of Al-MMC’s. 

The usage of metal/composite stacks such as those made of aluminum alloy (Al) and carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CRFP) has recently increased in the aerospace industry thanks to their high strength-to-weight ratio. As drilling high-quality holes in metal/composite stacks is still a challenge, innovative machining processes, such as ultrasonic vibration-assisted drilling and cryogenic drilling, have gained increasing attention for the part quality they promise. The feasibility of using the synergistic ultrasonic cryogenic drilling approach on Al/CFRP stacks is investigated for the first time, and the influence of the aforementioned innovative drilling approaches at varying feed in relation to the hole quality declined in terms of geometrical accuracy, surface roughness, delamination, and surface defects evaluated. The cutting forces are acquired as well. The obtained results show that, at increasing feed, the hole quality drastically worsens, nevertheless, it improves when applying innovative drilling technologies with respect to the standard one. Overall, ultrasonic cryogenic drilling carried out at the lowest investigated feeds represents the best drilling scenario thanks to the simultaneous application of ultrasonic vibrations, which enhances the surface finish as a consequence of the decreased contact between the workpiece and tool, and cryogenic cooling, which makes the surfaces harder.

The use of cutting fluids is commonly considered a necessity while machining Heat Resistant Super Alloys (HRSA). Specifically, cutting fluids applied under high-pressure, which for many decades have been the solution for the most demanding applications. The results might be diverse and vary between applications, but typically leads to improved tool life, enhanced chip breakability, lower temperature in the cutting zone and better surface quality of the finished product. The available high-pressure cutting fluid delivery systems are usually designed with the intention to improve the cutting fluid penetration at the vicinity of the cutting edge on the rake face side of the insert. However, there has been limited interest in investigating high-pressure cutting fluid applied to its flank face. Both specifically and in combination with cutting fluid directed to the rake face. In this study, the focus has been to investigate the chip formation process during the turning of Alloy 718 (Inconel 718). Particularly, for a defined turning operation where high-pressure cutting fluid is applied to the flank side as well as the rake side of an uncoated carbide insert. Several combinations of pressure levels and jet directions were investigated. The corresponding effects on the tool-chip contact zone and chip characteristics were studied for two cutting speeds. The results of the investigation showed a substantial improvement in lowering the tool-chip contact area at a rake pressure of 16 MPa. At which pressure, additional cutting fluid applied to the flank at a moderate pressure of 8 MPa had no dominant effect on chip formation (chip break). However, flank cooling of the cutting zone supports chip segmentation and thus indirectly chip breakability. For cutting fluid applied to the rake side at a more moderate pressure of 8 MPa, more prominent effects on the insert became apparent when additional cutting fluid was applied to the flank side. This was particularly noticeable when cutting fluid was directed towards the flank side of the insert at the same pressure level as the cutting fluid applied towards its rake face. The additional thermal transfer was seen to have a significant effect on the material deformation phenomena in the primary shear zone (lowering shear angle) as well as the sliding and sticking conditions of the tool-chip interface. Based on the evidence from this study, it can be concluded that cutting fluid applied towards the flank side of the insert has a significant impact on the cutting process. In particular, if applied in combination with a rake pressure at a similar level, in this case, 8 MPa. © 2021 The Authors

In recent years, research interest in liquid coolant media applied to the tool–workpiece interface (the tertiary shear zone) has grown considerably. In particular, attention has increased for work where the media has been applied under high-pressure. This is most likely triggered by the positive results reported on similar applications, but with coolant media directed towards the rake face of the cutting tool (the secondary shear zone). The most typical applications have not surprisingly been related to the machining of Heat Resistant Super Alloys (HRSA) or other “difficult to machine” alloys where the main intention has been to extend tool life and improve surface finish through reduced shear zone temperatures. Concurrently, these achievements have revealed a knowledge gap and unlocked a new research area in understanding the effects and influences of coolant media applied on super-heated surfaces under high-pressure conditions. The aim of this study is to investigate the “coolant boiling and cavitation” phenomena that emerges during the application of coolant under high-pressure to the flank face of an uncoated WC tool while turning Alloy 718. The experimental campaign was conducted in three aspects: varying flank (coolant media) pressure; varying spiral cutting length (SCL); and varying cutting speed. The results revealed that the location and size of the coolant-boiling region correlated with flank wear, coolant pressure and vapour pressure of the coolant at the investigated pressure levels. Further, the results showed that coolant applied with a lower pressure than the vapour pressure of the coolant itself caused the “Leidenfrost” effect. This then acts as a coolant media barrier and effectively reduces the heat transport from the cutting zone. Further, erosion pits were observed on small areas of the cutting tool, resembling the typical signs of cavitation (usually found in much different applications such as pumps and propellers). The discovered wear mechanism denoted as “Cavitation Wear” was used as base for the discussion aimed to deepen the understanding of the conditions close to the sliding interface between the tool and the workpiece. Even though “Cavitation Wear” has been widely reported in hydraulic systems like pumps and water turbines, it is a new phenomenon to be seen on cutting tools while using high-pressure flank cooling. © 2020 The Authors

The exceptional properties of Heat Resistant Super Alloys (HRSA) justify the search for advanced technologiesthat can improve the capability of machining these materials. One such advanced technology is the applicationof a coolant at high pressure while machining, a strategic solution known for at least six decades. The aim is toachieve extended tool life, better chip control and improved surface finish. Another aim is to control the temperature in the workpiece/tool interface targeting for optimum cutting conditions. In most of the existing applications with high-pressure coolant media, the nozzles are positioned on the rake face side of the insert andthey are directed towards the cutting edge (the high-temperature area). The coolant is applied at high-pressureto improve the penetration of the cooling media along the cutting edge in the interface between the insert andworkpiece material (chip) as well as to increase chip breakability. However, the corresponding infusion ofcoolant media in the interface between the flank face of the insert and the work material (tertiary shear zone) hasbeen previously only scarcely addressed, as is the combined effect of coolant applications on rake and clearancesides of the insert. The present work addresses the influence of different pressure conditions in (flank: 0, 4 and8 MPa; rake: 8 and 16 MPa) on maximum flank wear, flank wear area, tool wear mechanism, and overall processperformance. Round uncoated inserts are used in a set of face turning experiments, conducted on the widely usedHRSA "Alloy 718" and run in two condition tests with respect to cutting speed (45 (low) and 90 (high) m/min).The results show that an increase in rake pressure from 8 to 16 MPa has certainly a positive impact on tool life.Furthermore, at higher vc of 90 m/min, cutting edge deterioration: due to an extensive abrasion and crack in thewear zone were the dominant wear mechanism. Nevertheless, the increase in coolant pressure condition to16 MPa reduced the amount of abrasion on the tool compared to 8 MPa. At the lower cutting speed, no crack orplastic deformation or extensive abrasion were found. When using 8 MPa pressure of coolant media on the flank,the wear was reduced by 20% compared to flood cooling conditions. Application of high-pressure cooling on theflank face has a positive effect on tool life and overall machining performance of Alloy 718.

Heat generated in a machining process is a common and critical obstacle faced in today's manufacturing industries. The heat generated in the cutting zone has adirect negative influence on the tool life, which, in turn contributes to increasing the manufacturing costs. Especially in the machining of Heat Resistant Superalloys, HRSA, this is a very limiting factor. HRSA are capable of retaining their mechanical strength and hardness at elevated temperatures. This property is advantageous for applications such as aero-engines, but also a disadvantage, since it also lowers the machinability significantly.This work is an attempt to improve the heat transfer from the cutting zone, which would lead to an increase in the tool life. To achieve this goal, the effect of cooling the flank face (tertiary shear zone) with high-pressure is studied; furthermore, the cutting tool has been modified to create an improved interface between the high pressure coolant and the tool where high-temperature gradient exists.Three main generations of inserts have been designed and investigated. Firstly, an insert with surface texture features created with the purpose of increasing the available surface area for heat dissipation: First generation, Gen I. Secondly, GenI+, a modified rake design of Gen I, for improved frictional conditions on the tool-chip contact. Thirdly, Gen II was designed as a further improvement of GenI. Here, several channel features on the rake face were added, reaching out from the contact zone to the near proximity of the cutting edge. This has the purpose of improving access of the coolant closer to the cutting edge.The experiments were conducted in facing operations of Alloy 718 with uncoated round carbide inserts. All experiments were carried out with high-pressure coolant, with a maximum available pressure of 16 MPa on the rake face and 8MPa on the flank face, respectively. The three generations of inserts, Gen I, I+and II, were experimentally evaluated by tool wear analysis in comparison with a regular insert. The results shows that the tool life increased significantly for the Gen I insert, compared to catastrophic failure of the regular insert at the same conditions. Regarding the Gen II insert, an increase in tool life by approximately30-40 percent, compared to Gen I inserts was observed. XRegarding the coolant-boiling phenomenon, results revealed the existence in form of dark region (Ca precipitate) below the flank wear land. The location and size of the coolant-boiling region is interrelated between flank wear, cutting zone temperature, coolant pressure and vapour pressure of the coolant at the investigated coolant pressure levels. The coolant applied at a pressure lower than the vapour pressure of the coolant itself will cause the "Leidenfrost effect" to appear that will effectively act as a coolant barrier region. However, most importantly, this effect led to the observation of a new wear mechanism present "Cavitation Wear". This type of wear appears in the form of erosion pits on the flank surface of the insert and it is observed for flank pressure conditions of 4and 8 MPa. It is a new phenomenon in tool wear to be seen on uncoated WC cutting tools during machining operations with high-pressure coolant.

There is an increasing demand to improve the service life of cutting tools during machining of heat resistant superalloys (HRSA). Various studies showed that textured cutting tools improved the tribological properties and reduced cutting forces, temperature, and tool wear. Surface texturing can be seen as a futuristic design to improve the performance of the cutting tool and to increase productivity. However, only limited research has been conducted in machining superalloys with textured inserts and high-pressure coolant. In this work, three different micro texture designs on both rake and flank face are investigated in combination with high-pressure coolant in machining Alloy 718. Due to better tool life predictability, carbide cutting tools are used in machining components made from superalloys. However, the disadvantage is that machining can only be done at lower cutting speed/feed rate/depth of cut with high tool wear rates. The experimental investigation using different tool wear analysis methods showed that the combination of a cylindrical dimple on the rake and the square pyramid texture on the flank surface improved the wear resistance of the tool. An increase in tool life of about 30% was achieved as compared with a regular insert for the investigated cutting conditions. Different levels of adhering workpiece material were observed on the rake face of textured tools. Furthermore, the chip backside showed imprints from the tool textures. The tool textures on the rake face have influenced the tool-chip friction conditions during cutting.

The critical problems faced during the machining process of heat resistant superalloys, (HRSA), is the concentration of heat in the cutting zone and the difficulty in dissipating it. The concentrated heat in the cutting zone has a negative influence on the tool life and surface quality of the machined surface, which in turn, contributes to higher manufacturing costs. This paper investigates improved heat dissipation from the cutting zone on the tool wear through surface features on the cutting tools. Firstly, the objective was to increase the available surface area in high temperature regions of the cutting tool. Secondly, multiple surface features were fabricated for the purpose of acting as channels in the rake face to create better access for the coolant to the proximity of the cutting edge. The purpose was thereby to improve the cooling of the cutting edge itself, which exhibits the highest temperature during machining. These modified inserts were experimentally investigated in face turning of Alloy 718 with high-pressure coolant. Overall results exhibited that surface featured inserts decreased flank wear, abrasion of the flank face, cutting edge deterioration and crater wear probably due to better heat dissipation from the cutting zone.

Coolant supplied by high pressure into the cutting zone has shown the lower thermal loads on the tool when machining difficult-to-cut materials as the Alloy 718. In this study, we investigate how the combination of high-pressure cooling and tool-surface modifications can lead to further improvements regarding tool life. The general approach is to enhance the coolant-tool interaction by increasing the contact area. Therefore, we machined cooling features into flank and rake faces of commercially available cemented tungsten carbide inserts. In this way, the surface area was increased by similar to 12%. After the cutting tests, the tools were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Compared with conventional tools, the tool modifications reduced the flank wear by 45% for the investigated cutting parameters. Furthermore, we were able to significantly increase the cutting speed and feed rate without failure of the tool. The investigated surface modifications have great potential to enhance the productivity of metal cutting processes.