Abstract
Free-cutting steels are developed to produce large quantities of parts with low mechanical behavior, mainly for automotive sector. These alloys contain phosphorous, lead, sulfur, and manganese that help to improve the machinability and surface roughness. However, due to the toxicity of lead, steel mills in recent years have been focusing on non-toxic steels to produce minimum environmental pollution and better machinability. The present work investigates the tool wear during dry and wet turning of free-cutting steels (SAE 1212, SAE 12L14, and SAE 1215) by using uncoated hard metal inserts at three cutting speeds. Additionally, a EDS analysis was performed to determine the presence of Mn and S elements at the rake face of the cutting tool that can induce a higher adhesion of manganese sulfide (MnS). The results show that the SAE 12L14 steel has the best performance in terms of tool life at different cutting speeds. This difference is maximum at the lowest cutting speed, which gradually decreases with the increase of the cutting speed. The wear behavior is evaluated in the three steel alloys at each cutting speed and, consequently, the tool wear exhibits a slightly better performance in the dry machining condition for higher cutting speeds (180 and 240 m/min), independent of the steel alloy. Finally, EDS analysis confirms the presence of Mn and S elements at the rake face of the inserts machined in dry condition. Hence, MnS is expected to interpose between the machined surface and cutting tool surface to behave similar to tribofilm by reducing the wear on the cutting edge.
Highlights
The steel mills are developing some grades of steel called free-cutting steels (FCS) to reduce the use of cutting fluids during the cutting processes
The present paper evaluated the machining capabilities and the wear evolution of the cutting tool during a turning operation of three free-cutting steels, under dry and wet conditions, and at three
The cutting tool wear evolution was attenuated in dry machining with respect to wet machining different speeds
Summary
The steel mills are developing some grades of steel called free-cutting steels (FCS) to reduce the use of cutting fluids during the cutting processes. It is well known that the use of cutting fluids in machining was initiated by Taylor in 1894 [1], who used water in the turning of steel to increase the cutting speed by 33%. The high oxidation nature of water and its lack of lubrication capacity could damage the cutting tool and increase the tool’s wear [2]. The machining processes are analyzed by considering the influential factors, such as the type of cutting processes, materials to be machined, and the material of the tool [9]. The selection of these factors would provide basic information for selecting the suitable cutting fluid [10]. There are circumstances in which the best solution is obtained by using lubricant in particular conditions
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