INVESTIGATION OF SURFACE TEXTURED CUTTING TOOLS FOR SUSTAINABLE MACHINING

Abstract The profligate use of cutting fluids in machining causes serious health issues for operators; additionally, there are increasing economic and environmental costs associated with managing cutting fluid systems. To improve the sustainability of machining processes researchers are making efforts to eliminate or reduce the use of cutting fluids during machining through several means: development of improved tool coatings, materials and cutting fluids, hybrid machining processes, process optimization, etc. More recently, some researchers have studied the application of controlled surface micro textures on cutting tool surfaces to improve machining performance through alteration of tribological conditions at the tool-chip and tool-workpiece interfaces. This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation involving dry and near-dry intermittent orthogonal cutting of AISI 1045 steel using uncoated P30 grade cemented tungsten carbide cutting tools with various surface textures applied on the cutting tools' rake surfaces via grinding. The results show the significant effects of the cutting tool's rake surface roughness on machining forces and surface roughness of workpieces. Based on the observed trends some areas for further research in cutting tool development are identified