Abstract
In recent years, CVD diamond-coated tungsten carbide (WC-Co) tools have been widely utilized due to their benefits in the machining of non-ferrous alloys and polymer composite materials, especially carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRPs). The reconditioning of such coated tools is economically attractive due to their high cost and short tool life. The decoating of the remaining diamond film from the used tools and the subsequent surface preparation by wet chemical pretreatment are essential steps for new CVD diamond film formation. Previously, it was shown that reactive ion beam etching (RIBE) could effectively remove CVD diamond films. However, some degree of WC-Co tool substrate damage is expected due to the high ion energy in RIBE and the chemical activity in wet etching. This study addresses the effects of RIBE decoating and surface pretreatment steps on WC-Co tools with a complex shape in terms of the ion-induced surface damage, geometry alteration, and adhesion of a subsequently re-applied CVD diamond film. Moreover, the cutting performance of the tools subjected to the RIBE decoating and repeated film deposition was studied via CFRP cutting tests. It has been shown that the RIBE decoated and recoated tools had a high level of cutting performance comparable to the new tools.
Highlights
It is well-known that the application of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRPs) increases year by year in a wide range of industries, such as aircraft and automobiles
Abrasion due to hard carbon fibers in CFRPs always leads to severe tool wear and, short tool life
A well-known method of the tool life extension consists in the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of polycrystalline diamond films on tungsten carbide (WC-Co) cutting tools [1,2,3]
Summary
It is well-known that the application of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRPs) increases year by year in a wide range of industries, such as aircraft and automobiles. Abrasion due to hard carbon fibers in CFRPs always leads to severe tool wear and, short tool life. When cutting tool conditions deteriorate due to wear and tear, the CFRP workpiece tends to show material-specific defects, such as delamination, burrs, and tearing of fibers. A well-known method of the tool life extension consists in the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of polycrystalline diamond films on tungsten carbide (WC-Co) cutting tools [1,2,3]. Studies reported that the utilization of special shape-designed WC-Co tools with CVD diamond coatings benefits CFRP machining, resulting in less burr formation and delamination effects [4,5,6]. The resulting boron-doped micro-crystalline diamond (B-MCD) film has shown excellent results in CFRP machining in our previous study [7]. An effective method of the tool life extension is of great interest
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