Tool wear morphology and life under various lubrication modes in turning stainless steel 316L

Abstract

One of the most important industrial demands is to improve the machinability of hard steels. Among hard steels, 316L stainless steel has significant mechanical and thermal properties recommended for many industrial applications and products, including aero-engines and gas turbines. Similar to many other hard-to-cut materials, the machining of 316L stainless steel requires an adequate selection of cutting parameters and lubrication modes. Limited studies have been found in this regard. In the present study, turning tests were conducted on 316L steel and the tool wear magnitude and morphology were assessed under four lubrication modes. Furthermore, to improve machining performance, a minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) system was used and the obtained results under this lubrication mode were compared to three other types of lubrication modes, including dry, wet, and MQCL. The composition of the adhered material on the cutting tools shows that in all lubrication modes, built-up edge (BUE) occurred. Furthermore, the use of high pressure-lubricated machining (MQCL) led to longer tool life as compared to the other three lubrication modes used. In fact, double the tool life was recorded for the cutting tools used under the MQCL mode.