Effects of gradient structure on the microstructures and properties of coated cemented carbides

The effects of gradient structure on the microstructure and properties of coated cemented carbides were researched with optical microscopy （OM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, strength measurements, and cutting tests. It shows that vacuum sintering of WC-Ti（C, N）-TaC-Co cemented carbides results in the formation of a surface ductile zone. The ductile zone prevents crack propagation and leads to the increase of transverse rupture strength of the substrate. The impact resistance of coated gradient inserts was obviously improved on the basis of maintaining resistance to abrasion and the forming mechanism of the gradient structure was also analyzed.

Effect of Al and Si additions on microstructure and mechanical properties of TiN coatings

Ti-X-N (X=Al,Si or Al+Si) coatings were grown onto cemented carbide substrates by cathodic arc evaporation. The hardness of the coatings was obtained by nanoindentation and the microstructure was investigated by XRD,XPS and SEM. Solid solution hardening results in a hardness increase from 24 GPa for TiN to 31.2 GPa for TiAlN. The higher hardness values of 36.7 GPa for TiSiN and 42.4 GPa for TiAlSiN are obtained by the incorporation of Si into TiN (TiAlN) coatings due to the formation of special three-dimensional net structure consisting of nanocrystalline (nc) TiN (TiAlN) encapsulated in an amorphous (a) Si3N4 matrix phase. Furthermore,the nc-TiAlN/a-Si3N4 coating shows the best machining performance.

Microstructure, mechanical properties, and milling performance of arc-PVD AlTiN–Cu and AlTiN/AlTiN–Cu coatings

AlTiN,AlTiN–Cu and AlTiN/AlTiN–Cu coatings were prepared on WC–6%Co substrates by cathode arc evaporation deposition technology.Two kinds of nitrogen pressures were used to deposit both AlTiN–Cu and AlTiN/AlTiN–Cu coatings.Surface and cross-sectional morphologies of films were observed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM).Crystal structure of films was analyzed by X-ray diffraction(XRD)and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).Hardness and adhesion of films were measured by nano-indentation and nano-scratch tester.Cutting tests were performed under milling conditions during wet machining of TC4 alloy.The results show that with addition of Cu,more droplets occur on AlTiN coating surface,but the grain size of it is refined,and the hardness decreases but the toughness is improved.Under higher N2 pressure,the defects on the surface of AlTiN–Cu and AlTiN/AlTiN–Cu coatings diminish,and the hardness of them is enhanced,while the adhesion is reduced.Compared to AlTiN coated cemented carbide tool,the lifetimes of AlTiN–Cu and AlTiN/AlTiN–Cu coated tools under the same N2 pressure are improved by 11%and 24%,respectively.

Microstructure and physical properties of PVD TiN/(Ti, Al)N multilayer coatings

Magnetron sputtered (Ti, Al)N monolayer and TiN/(Ti, Al)N multilayer coatings grown on cemented carbide substrates were studied by using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), nanoindentation, Rockwell A indentation test, strength measurements and cutting tests. The results show that the (Ti, Al)N monolayer and TiN/(Ti, Al)N multilayer coatings perform good affinity to substrate, and the TiN/(Ti, Al)N multilayer coating exhibits higher hardness, higher toughness and better cutting performance compared with the (Ti, Al)N monolayer coating. Moreover, the strength measurement indicates that the physical vapour deposition (PVD) coating has no effect on the substrate strength.

Effect of jet milling on micro-strain behavior and rupture behavior of agglomerates of ultrafine WC powders

The Williamson-Hall and uniaxial compression methods were used to study the variations of the micro-strain and stress-strain relations in WC powders after jet milling and ball milling, respectively. The rupture behavior of agglomerates in WC powders was investigated. Meanwhile, the as-obtained WC powders treated by different milling methods were used to fabricate WC-10%Co cemented carbides, followed by the performance assessment of cemented carbides. The results show that the micro-strain of the jet-milled WC powders decreases significantly compared with that of the ball-milled WC powders, and that the cemented carbides prepared by jet-milled WC powders exhibit excellent properties with a transverse-rupture strength of 4260 MPa, due to the elimination of agglomerates and the reduction of lattice strain.

Effect of Radial Depth on Vibration and Surface Roughness During Face Milling of Austenitic Stainless Steel

This paper studies the influence of radial depth on vibration, chip formation and surface roughness during face milling of AISl3O4 austenitic stainless steel with indexable cemented carbide milling cutters. The amplitude of vibration acceleration increased with the increasing radial depth up to 80 mm. And the domain vibration frequency varied with the radial depth. In this paper, three types of chips were found： C shape, long shape and spiral shape. The minimum surface roughness value occurred when the radial depth equalled 40 mm in the experiment. Irregular changes of chip curl radius and chip thickness could be attributed to different numbers of alternately engaged teeth when the feed and speed were fixed. Surface roughness is related to forced vibration and chip formation. Radial depth with different numbers of alternately engaged teeth could significantly influence the forced vibration, chip formation, and surface roughness.