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The Effect of Cleanliness and Micro Hardness on the Machinability of Carburizing Steel Grades Suitable for Automotive Applications
Author(s) -
Ånmark Niclas,
Lövquist Simon,
Vosough Manouchehr,
Björk Thomas
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
steel research international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.603
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1869-344X
pISSN - 1611-3683
DOI - 10.1002/srin.201500243
Subject(s) - machinability , carburizing , metallurgy , materials science , machining , cemented carbide , tool wear , scanning electron microscope , carbide , chip formation , composite material
This work reports on soft part turning of carburizing steels using cemented carbide (CC) cutting tools. The emphasis is on the influence of the cleanliness and micro hardness on the machinability of carburizing steel grades. A reference steel grade is included in this study together with a clean steel and an ultra‐clean steel. Machining tests are conducted to examine the cutting tool life, the balance between the excessive flank or crater wear and the chip formation. The wear mechanisms are examined by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with a back‐scatter (BS) detector. It is possible to differentiate between the machinability of the clean steel grades, having only a minor difference in the sulfur and oxygen contents. Furthermore, the longest tool life is obtained when machining the reference steel. The superior machinability of the reference steel R is linked to its high content of sulfur. It is believed that MnS inclusions act as stress raisers in the primary shear zone. Hence, this will improve the chip formation process.