Effects of Cutting Parameters on Flank Wear in Hard Turning of Sintered Tungsten Carbide Using CBN Tools

Tungsten carbide has been widely used in dies and molds for metal forming because of its excellent mechanical properties such as high hardness and abrasion resistance, which also create the challenge for conventional cutting processes. Therefore, this work presents the experimental study on the machinability of CBN tools in hard turning process of tungsten carbide material. The response surface design with face central points was used and ANOVA analysis was performed to evaluate the effects of cutting speed, feed rate and depth of cut on the flank wear, tool wear behavior and wear mechanism. The regression function of flank wear was built, and wear mechanism was also studied. The obtained results indicated that the cutting speed has strongest influence on flank wear and wear rate. The set of optimal cutting parameters for minimizing flank wear was determined as cutting speed of 30 m/min, cutting depth of 0.1 mm and feed rate of 0.136 mm/rev. From those, this work will contribute some important technological guides for hard turning process to improve the machining performance and enlarge the applicability in sustainable production.