Reducing Tool Wear When Machining Austenitic Stainless Steels
-
Published:1998
Download citation file:
Austenitic stainless steels are considered more difficult to machine than carbon steels due to their high work hardening rate, large spread between yield and ultimate tensile strength, high toughness and ductility, and low thermal conductivity. These characteristics can result in a built-up edge or excessive tool wear during machining, especially when the cutting speed is too high. The practical solution is to lower the cutting speed until tool life reaches an acceptable level. However, lower machining speed negatively impacts productivity. Thus, in order to overcome tool wear at relatively high machining speeds for these alloys, on-going research is being performed to improve cutting fluids, develop more wear-resistant tools, and to modify stainless steels to make them less likely to cause tool wear.
This paper discusses compositional modifications to the two most commonly machined austenitic stainless steels (Type 303 and 304) which reduced their susceptibility to tool wear, and allowed these grades to be machined at higher cutting speeds.