Cutting Performance and Wear Behavior of Self‐Developed Silicon Nitride Ceramic End Mills with Optimized Structure for High‐Speed Machining of GH4099

Abstract

Ceramic tool materials possess a wide range of potential in machining nickel‐based superalloys due to their superior wear resistance, high‐temperature hardness, and strong chemical stability. Herein, a structural optimization scheme of self‐developed silicon nitride ceramic end mill based on stiffness enhancement and performance improvement is proposed, and the key geometric angular parameters scope of the self‐developed ceramic end mills are prioritized via the finite‐element simulation method. Through precision grinding manufacturing and sandblasting pretreatment, the cutting performance and tool wear behavior of three optimized self‐developed silicon nitride ceramic end mills (called S4‐1, S4‐2, S4‐3 respectively) are comprehensively analyzed in comparison, including cutting force, milling temperature, surface quality, and tool life. The results indicate that the cutting force and cutting temperature of all the optimized ceramic end mills are effectively restrained compared with the nonoptimized ceramic tool(S4), and the final workpiece surface roughness is significantly reduced. Further, better surface quality can be obtained by optimized ceramic mills. In terms of tool life, ceramic end mill with optimized construction in best can be increased by up to 1.9 times. The wear mechanism and pattern of the three optimized ceramic milling tools are similar, which is adhesive wear, diffusion wear, and notch wear. Overall, the effectiveness of the optimization scheme for ceramic end mill is successfully verified.