Cutting performance and wear mechanism of Sialon ceramic tools in high speed face milling GH4099

Abstract This work aims to reveal the cutting performance and wear mechanisms of Sialon ceramic tools for the high-speed face-milling of GH4099, with the goal of improving this process as well as designing more advanced ceramic cutting tools in the future. At the outset of this study, several single-factor experiments were designed with speed as a variable to gather various data on such tools. Failure patterns and tool life curves were first obtained through cutting tests. Afterwards, the tools were split at their place of wear (middle of notch and 1/2 depth of cut) to prepare for further analysis. Wear morphology and element composition distribution in the depth direction of the corresponding interface were then analyzed using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) to explore potential diffusion and/or chemical wear. Finally, studies were conducted into the tools’ chemical wear under specific cutting conditions, finishing with a theoretical verification based on the thermodynamic principle of chemical reactions. This research discovered that notch wear was the main failure pattern for the high-speed face-milling of GH4099 under the suitable cutting conditions. Overall, the optimal cutting speed was 1000 m/min, with a tool life of about 3 min. Compared with cemented carbide tools, the machining efficiency for Sialon ceramic tools increased by over a factor of 16. The wear mechanisms for such tools demonstrated a mixture effect of abrasive, adhesive, diffusive and chemical wear. Diffusive wear mainly occurred in their flank faces, but did not constitute the main mechanism of notch wear; chemical wear proved to be a key reason for notch wear at higher temperatures. Based on the aforementioned research, this paper concludes with a proposed comprehensive model for notch wear.