An investigation of the influence of sulphide inclusions on tool-wear in high speed milling of tool steels

Experimental results have shown that the machinability of tool steels, in term of tool-life, is increased with sulphides addition. It seems that this increase depends on cutting speed, probably due to the existence of an adherent layer of manganese sulphides (MnS) frequently observed in turning. Previous studies on the same materials have shown that at high cutting speeds, the action of sulphur disappears. The choice of the best cutting parameters is presented in detail according to the tool-work material pair method. Experimental design has been used to determine the tool-wear rate and to discuss the effect of each influencing factor and interaction. During the progressive tool-wear, rake face investigations to study the influence of sulphide inclusions have been performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques.