Experimental assessment of derivative cutting of micro-textured tools in dry cutting of medium carbon steels

Abstract

In this study, micro-scale textures with a single linear groove parallel to cutting edge are fabricated on the rake face of the WC/Co cemented carbide tools. Dry cutting tests on medium carbon steels (AISI 1045 steels) are carried out with this rake-face textured tool (TT) and a conventional carbide tool (CT). Results show that derivative cutting, i.e., the additional cutting to the bottom side of the chip with the micro-surface textures on the tool surface, occurred in dry cutting of medium carbon steels with the micro-textured tools. Derivative cutting always causes the filling of chip in the surface textures, which leads to the increase of friction at the tool-chip interface, cutting forces, and hardness and deformation of chip. The texture edge far from the main cutting edge is engaged in the derivative cutting as a cutting edge; wear of this texture edge results in a greater negative rake angle, which is found to be beneficial to alleviating the derivative cutting.