Pajazit Avdovic

EFFECTS OF CUTTING SPEED WHEN TURNING AGE HARDENED INCONEL 718 WITH PCBN TOOLS OF BINDERLESS AND LOW-CBN GRADES

Application of polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) tools as an alternative for ceramic and cemented carbide tools in machining superalloys has been frequently identified as a solution for enhancing process efficiency but only a limited number of studies has been done in this area. The current study explores the effect of the cutting speed, which was varied in a wide range (2–14 m/s), on machinability of age hardened Inconel 718 with PCBN tools. Performance of binderless PCBN grade and grade with low-cBN content was evaluated in terms of tool life, tool wear, cutting forces and surface quality. Chip formation and process dynamics were analyzed as well. It was found that low-cBN grade provided 70–90% better surface finish and tool life than the binderless at moderate speeds (5–8 m/s). Performance of both grades at low and high speed ranges was non-satisfactory due to notching and flaking respectively. At low cutting speed adhesive wear plays a major role while as the speed increases a chemical wear becomes dominant.

Evaluating the Machinability of Inconel 718 Using Polar Diagrams

The use of a polar diagram method for describing and evaluating the machinability of Inconel 718 was explored. Five key parameters of the work material, representing the mechanical and physical properties which have strongest influence on its machinability, were employed in the diagrams. These five parameters were integrated into a single polar diagram, used to describe the machinability of Inconel 718. Variations in the machinability of Inconel 718 products or components of a given type produced in different batches were analyzed. Industrial experiments were conducted to test the relationship between the polar diagram of the work material, its carbon content, and tool wear of the ceramic cutting tools used in machining it. Work materials of Inconel 718 in which the polar diagrams of machinability were similar in size and shape exhibited very similar behavior during the cutting process. The polar diagram method employed appeared to be useful for selecting suitable cutting data for the machining of new materials.

Dynamic stability of the process of turning nickel superalloys using a toolholder produced by selective laser sintering

The paper presents the results of a comparative analysis of dynamic stability of SiC whisker reinforced alumina tools used in a conventional and prototype toolholders when turning a nickel-based superalloy Inconel 718. The use of the prototype toolholder with a cellular spatial structure is shown to significantly suppress vibrations during the machining operation and stabilize the cutting process within the cutting speed range between 200 and 500 m/min. Considering the identical nature of tool wear rate and the analytical ellaborations regarding the process dynamics, the above-mentioned benefits are related to damping properties of the proposed toolholder.