CBN tool wear in ductile cutting of tungsten carbide

In this paper, an experimental investigation on the tool wear characteristics in ductile cutting of tungsten carbide using commercially available cubic boron nitride (CBN) inserts is presented. The experiments were carried out on a high-speed milling machine tool (Makino V55). The cutting forces were measured using a three-component dynamometer. The tool wear was examined using an optical measurement inspection system (OMIS), and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS). The results indicate that in ductile cutting of tungsten carbide using CBN tools, the tool wear occurs mainly at the tool flank. The tool wear mechanisms are dominated by diffusion, adhesion and abrasion. The higher the cutting speed, the larger the tool wear and the shorter the tool life. The cutting forces increase gradually with the increase of the cutting distance and the tool flank wear. However, the machined workpiece surface roughness shows no significant change with the progress of the tool flank wear.