Wear, 162-164 (1993) 971-974
Case Study
happing the wear of some cutting-tool
materials
S. C. Lim, Y. B. Liu, S. H. Lee and
K. H. W. Seah
repaved of ~echa~al and Production Engineering, rational
Univer&y of Singapore, 10 Kent Ridge Crescent, Singapore 0511
(Singapore)
Abstract
In this short paper, a map describing the flank-wear char-
acteristics of uncoated high-speed-steel (HSS) cutting tools
during turning operations is presented. In this map, there is
a region where the rate of flank wear is lowest, called the
safety zone. The presence of this safety zone suggests that
it may be possible to select the machining parameters so
that a machinist can operate with the lowest amount of tool
wear without compromising the level of productivity desired.
1. Im-oduction
The cost of replacing cutting tools is a major slice
of the total running cost of the manufacturing industries.
It is therefore desirable to have cutting tools that can
be used for a long time before being replaced. This
can be achieved either by making cutting tools from
more wear-resistant materials or through the selection
of machining conditions that will result in lower tool-
wear. The use of cutting tools made of wear-resistant
materials invariably increases the operating cost (al-
though this may turn out to be cheaper in the long
run); a lower material removal rate (normally associated
with a lower rate of tool wear) may result in lower
productivity, making the final products uncompetitive.
The ideal situation would be one where a desirable
productivi~ is attained at an acceptable rate of tool
wear.
One approach to attaining this goal is to gain a more
global understanding of the processes of tool wear
operating at different machining conditions. An ideal
means to achieve this end is a series of maps describing
the wear during actual machining using various cutting-
tool materials, similar in concept to those developed
for steels [1] and aluminium alloys [2, 31. Although the
wear of several grades of tool steels has been summarized
971
in the wear-mechanism map for steels [l], only the
wear characteristics during pin-on-disk tests, and not
during machining operations, are described, thereby
making this map less useful in the understanding of
the wear of cutting tools during machining.
Yen and Wright [4] proposed a qualitative wear-map
for cutting tools, demarcating a safety zone within a
two-dimensional plane of feed rate and cutting speed.
However, no experimental data were given for the
parameters examined which defined this safety zone.
More recently, Kendall [5] proposed another qualitative
wear-map for cutting tools by s~per~posing boundaries
(based on the proposition of Wright 16)) onto the wear-
mechanism map for steels proposed by Lim and Ashby
[l]. He suggested that as long as the machining pa-
rameters lie within this safety zone (of which the critical
feed rates and cutting speeds defining the zone were
not given), the tools will not suffer excessive wear. In
his proposal, Kendall had assumed that direct rela-
tionships exist between two machining parameters and
the two variables used in the wear-mechanism map for
steels. Such an assumption may present some difficulties
as a pin-on-disk test differs considerably from that of
a machining operation.
To overcome the deficiencies presented by these
qualitative wear maps, an attempt was made earlier
[7] to construct a wear map for a cutting-tool material
using the wear data gathered from machining operations.
It was found that it is feasible to develop a wear map
describing the flank-wear characteristics (Fig. 1) of
high-speed-steel (HSS) cutting tools during turning
operations. HSS tools were chosen partly because a
reasonably large amount of machining data is available
in the technical literature; Furthermore, they still ac-
count for about 30% of the market 191. In this paper,
we present the progress we have made with this wear
Fig. 1. Wear features on the cutting edge of a turning tool (after
Trent [S]).
0 1993 - Elsetier Sequoia. All rights reserved
912 S. C. Lim
map. The concept of the safety zone and how this can
lead to an optimal compromise between productivity
and tool wear will be discussed.
2. Methodology
Several broad steps were taken to construct the wear
maps presented here. First, a sufficient amount of data
on the flank-wear characteristics of uncoated HSS tools
during single-point dry turning operations was gathered
from the technical literature. We have restricted the
workpieces machined presently to steels to minimize
the additional complications brought about by the dif-
ferent combinations of tool and workpiece. Wear data
obtained from other types of machining operations,
such as milling and drilling, as well as wear data of
HSS obtained from laboratory-type experiments, such
as pin-on-disk, were excluded from the present work.
The axes for the map were then decided so that
these data (wear rates and wear mechanisms) could
be translated onto the map. Two machining parameters,
namely feed rate and cutting speed, were chosen as
the axes because it was suggested that the wear of
cutting tools depends principally on them [lo]. In this
map, the feed rate is measured in millimetres per
revolution and the cutting speed is measured in metres
per minute. In all cases, the depth of cutting (a parameter
not reflected in the map) varied from 1 mm to 2.5
mm.
The conventional definition of flank wear VB (in
millimetres) was adopted (Fig. 2), and a more useful
representation of the rate of flank wear was found to
be the dimensionless VI3 per unit cutting distance. Each
point on the two-dimensional plane defined by feed
rate and cutting speed represents a particular machining
condition; a value (log,,(VB/cutting distance)) indi-
cating the wear rate measured under that condition is
then shown next to this point.
3. Experimental details
In order to check the validity of the map, carefully
executed single-point turning operations were carried
I within a certain range of values: for example, -6.0 to
Flank wear
\
L_
Fig. 2. Flank wear measurements (after IS0 3661977(E)
et al. i Wear maps of cutting tools
out in accordance with the International Standard IS0
3685-1977(E) [ll]. In the tests carried out so far, HSS
tools (AISI M2) were used to machine (without coolant
or lubricant) medium-carbon steel (AISI 1045) under
three different sets of feed rate and cutting speed with
a depth of cut of 2 mm. (The average hardness of the
AISI M2 tools is 65 HRC and the average hardness
of the AISI 1045 workpieces is 100 HRB (approximately
23 HRC).) The flank wear sustained was measured
using a toolmaker’s microscope as stipulated in the
Standard. Since it has been demonstrated that increased
humidity leads to an increase in tool wear [12-151, the
VB values obtained (measured in a high humidity
environment) were calibrated for humidity using data
from Kurimoto and Barrow [14].
4. A wear map for high-speed-steel cutting tools
Figure 3 shows the rates of flank wear of HSS tools
during dry turning operations reported by various re-
searchers in the literature. The data points obtained
from our turning tests agree well with data from other
sources. More importantly, they demonstrate that
changes in wear rate can be obtained by altering both
feed rate and cutting speed during turning. A closer
examination of the wear-rate data revealed a pattern
in which these data might be related. It is possible to
demarcate regimes (in terms of machining conditions)
where similar wear rates are obtained: this is done and
the dotted lines superimposed on the data points are
the suggested boundaries.
Several mechanisms have been reported in the lit-
erature to describe the flank wear observed in HSS
during single-point turning. These include diffusion wear
[16, 171, attrition wear [16], micro-cracking [18], and
compressive plastic deformation [19, 201. A detailed
examination of these mechanisms suggests that they
may be grouped into two main classes: one is diffision
controlled and the other is plasticity controlled. The
dominance of each class of wear mechanism depends
on the machining conditions: the diffusion-controlled
area is essentially the regime where diffusion wear
operates; the plasticity-controlled regime covers the
area where the machining conditions are insufficiently
severe to generate a high temperature to cause diffusion
wear.
The boundaries represented by dotted lines in Fig.
3 are replotted in Fig. 4 with each zone having wear
rates, given by {log,,(VB/cutting distance)}, falling
-6.4, and so on. The approximate locations of dom-
inance of the two main wear mechanisms are also
indicated. One important feature of this diagram is the
presence of a small region where the rate of tool wear
[ll]).
 S. C. Lim et al. I Wear maps of cutting tools 973

0.5 I I I I
FLANK WEAR
l Opitz and Kiinig (19701
n Soliman and Zeid U9871
HIGH -SPEED -STEEL
A Shabaik (19801
CUTTING TOOLS
v El-Baily et al. (1986) 0. Kowstubhan and Philip(19Y
+ Kurimoto and Barrow (1981
0.4 l Brown et al. 11989)
H Micheletti et al. 11968) + ‘prou’ “‘R7)
I 0 Fenske et al. II9881
I X Moneim (1981)
x Mahmoud (1987)
I $ Venkatesh (1989)
0 Hsu and Molian (19881
I
$ Present work
I Q Hsu and Molian (1989)
-7.1' $ Posti and Nieminen (1980)
0.3 Xl 0 Wright and Trent (1971)
_CII\ .kl -CR+ .-6.6 -6.2
w Bandyopadhyay et al. 1199
X Kankaanpaa and
“* .J2
Korhonen (19871
‘; -7.L COMPRE;SlVE PLASTIC
I ’
I 01 OEFOR~ATION
1h -7L -72\\-67
0.2 -29; -$ i ti
A-t.6
-6.1
A
-1 -6.3
\A 0'
*’

1 I \
\ H / /@'
\ .c___-/
t 1 I . _/' -3 _
cotIPRESSiV: PLASTIC O~,~~MA”ON~ - _ _ _ _ _ _ - c * -
-6.8 AT{R~f$“WA;;_ n-73 -63 w-72 ,+o-6.6
A / ’ -6.6
0.1 Q.Q
-65 -c-‘6. ,$ -79 ______
-$&-.A5---.
-7.5 -75 -77 -77I-26-3;
-:’
.
.
/

. .’
/d
. :-g.j_ e_
-5.5 _@
-h --_- -&E
x

0I I I 1 I I

‘0 20 40 60 80 100 *
CUTTING SPEED (m/min)
Fig. 3. Map for the iates and mechanisms of flank wear of high-speed-steel cutting tools during turning. The numbers given against
the points are logIO(VEUcutting distance). The approximate machining conditions that gave rise to the four observed wear mechanisms
are also indicated.

The implication of the presence of such a safety

zone is that it is now possible to optimize the machining
operations in such a manner that an educated com-
promise in the choice of feed rate and cutting speed
can be reached where the desired rate of material
removal (determined to a large degree by both feed
rate and cutting speed) can be attained with an ac-
ceptable rate of tool wear. It can be seen (in Fig. 4)
that a significant increase in tool wear can result from
a small increase in, say, feed rate; while in another
area, the same increase in feed rate may bring about
a reduction in tool wear. The ideal situation is to
operate always within the safety zone, adjusting the
CUTTING SPEEO (m/mini feed rate and cutting speed (to achieve the desired
productivity) so that the machining condition always
Fig. 4. Wear map of high-speed-steel cutting tools during turning
operations. The regimes where the different ranges of wear rates stays within the safety zone for minimal tool wear.
are observed are shaded correspondingly. The safety zone is the
region where the rates of flank wear are the lowest. The ap-
proximate locations of dominance of the two main wear mech- 5. Summary and future developments
anisms are also indicated.

The rates of flank wear for uncoated high-speed-

is minimum, falling within the range -7.5 to - 7.9, steel (HSS) cutting tools and the various wear mech-
the safety zone. This means there is a narrow range anisms observed during dry turning operations have
of machining conditions where the rates of flank wear been presented in the form of a wear map in terms
of HSS tools during turning operations are the smallest. of two easily controllable machining parameters: feed
974 S. C. Lim et al. I Wear maps of cutting tools
rate and cutting speed. A safety zone has been identified
for this cutting-tool material in which tool wear is a
minimum. Armed with such information, the machinists
can then make the necessary decision on the machining
parameters to reach a compromise on the rate of
material removal (for an acceptable level of productivity)
and the anticipated amount of tool wear.
The same technique used to produce this wear map
is currently being applied to produce a map describing
the crater-wear characteristics of uncoated HSS tools
during turning operations. In the longer term, there is
the possibility of applying this approach to several
curring-tool materials with the aim of producing more
wear maps describing their wear behaviour under actual
machining conditions.
Acknowledgments
Financial assistance through the research grant
(PR880628) from the National University of Singapore
is gratefully acknowledged.
References
S. C. Lim and M. F. Ashby, Wear-mechanism maps, Acta
Metafl., 35 (1987) l-24.
R. Antoniou and C. Subramanian, Wear mechanism map for
aluminium alloys, Ser. MetaN., 22 (1988) 809-814.
Y. B. Liu, R. Asthana and P. Rohatgi, A map for wear
mechanism in aluminium alloys, /. Mater. Sci., 26 (1991)
99-102.
D. W. Yen and P. K. Wright, Adaptive control in machining-a
new approach based on the physical constraints of tool wear
mechanisms, Trans. ASME, J. Eng. Ind., 105 (1983) 31-38.
L. A. Kendall, in J. R. Davis (ed.), Tool wear and tool life,
in Metals Handbook Vol. 16: Machining, ASM International,
Metals Park, OH, 1989, pp. 374, 9th edn.
P. K. Wright, Physical models of tool wear for adaptive control
in flexible machining cells, Proc. Symp. on Computer Integrated
Manufacturing, Vol. 8, American Society of Mechanical En-
gineers, 1986, pp. 19-31.
7 S. C. Lim, Y. B. Liu and S. H. Lee, Wear maps: useful
databases for wear applications, J. Inst. Eng. Singapore, 31
(5) (1991) 51-55.
8 E. M. Trent, The tribology of metal cutting, in M. H. Jones
and D. Scott (eds.), Industrial Tkibology. The Practical Aspect
of Friction, Lubrication and Wear, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1983,
pp. 446-470.
9 S. Soderberg, S. Jacobson and M. Olsson, Wear atlas of HSS
cutting tools, in K. Hohnberg and I. Nieminen (eds.), Eurotrib
89 - Proc. 5th Int. Congress on Tribology, Helsinki, I989, Vol.
1, Finnish Society for Tribology, pp. 412-419.
10 M. C. Shaw, Metal Cuttingprinciples, Clarendon Press, Oxford,
1984.
11 Tool-life testing with single-point turning tools, International
Standard, IS0 3685-1977(E), ISO, Switzerland, 1977.
12 N. N. Zorev and N. I. Tashlitsky, Effect of the secondary
shear zone on high speed steel cutting tools, Proc. Conf on
Machinability, London, October 4-6, 1965, Special Report no.
94, The Iron and Steel Institute, London, 1967, pp. 31-34.
13 E. M. Trent, Metallurgical changes at the tool/work interface,
Proc. Conf on Machinability, London, Octoberla 1965, Special
Report no. 94, The Iron and Steel Institute, London, 1967,
pp. 77-87.
14 T. Kurimoto and G. Barrow, The wear of high speed steel
cutting tools under the action of several different cutting
fluids. In B. J. Davies (ed.), ?‘roc. 22nd Int. Machine Tool
Design and Research Conf., Manchester, September 16-18,1981,
Macmillan, London, 1981, pp. 237-246.
15 T. H. C. Childs and A. B. Smith, Effect of atmosphere on
flank wear of high speed steel tools used to turn medium
carbon steel in built-up-edge conditions, Met. TechnoZ., 9
(1982) 292-296.
16 P. K. Wright and E. M. Trent, Metallurgical appraisal of
wear mechanisms and processes on high speed steel cutting
tools, Met. Technof., I (1974) 13-23.
17 V. C. Venkatesh, On a diffusion wear model for high speed
steel tools, Trans. ASME, .I Lube. Technol., 100 (1978) 436-441.
18 P. W. Shelton and A. S. Wronski, Microcracking of high
speed steel tools during cutting, Met. TechnoZ., 10 (1983)
308-314.
19 H. Opitz and W. Konig, Basic research on wear of high speed
steel cutting tools, Proc. Conf on Material for Metal Cutting,
Scarborough, April 14-16, 1970, Publication No. 126, The Iron
and Steel Institute, London, 1970, pp. 6-14.
20 E. M. Trent, Cutting steel and iron with cemented carbide
tools: part II, condition of seizure at the tool/work interface,
J. Iron Steel Inst., 201 (1963) 923-932.