Tribological behavior of PVD hard coated cutting tools under cryogenic cooling conditions

Abstract

Cryogenic assistance is used to improve machining performance and to enhance tool life under extreme contact conditions (pressure and temperature). This paper focuses on the influence of cryogenic cooling conditions using liquid nitrogen within the context of machining Ti6Al4V with CrN-coated carbide cutting tools. Friction behavior of both CrN-coated and uncoated pins with and without cryogenic cooling were evaluated using a home-made laboratory tribometer. The adhesive and plastic friction coefficients were evaluated using a finite element model of the pin-Ti6Al4V system through an inverse methodology. Finally, the contribution of the CrN coatings was evaluated under both cryogenic cooling and dry conditions.