Stainless steel is the most widely used alloys of steel. The reputed variety of stainless steel having customised material properties as per the design requirements is Duplex Stainless Steel and Austenitic Stainless Steel. The Austenite Stainless Steel alloy has been developed further to be Super Austenitic Stainless Steel (SASS) by increasing the percentage of the alloying elements to form the half or more than the half of the material composition. SASS (Grade-AL-6XN) is an alloy steel containing high percentages of nickel (24%), molybdenum (6%) and chromium (21%). The chemical elements offer high degrees of corrosion resistance, toughness and stability in a large range of hostile environments like petroleum, marine and food processing industries. SASS is often used as a commercially viable substitute to high cost non-ferrous or non-metallic metals. The ability to machine steel effectively and efficiently is of utmost importance in the current competitive market. This paper is an attempt to evaluate the machinability of SASS which has been a classified material so far with very limited research conducted on it. Understanding the machinability of this alloy would assist in the effective forming of this material by metal cutting. The novelty of research associated with this is paper is reasonable taking into consideration the unknowns involved in machining SASS. The experimental design consists of conducting eight milling trials at combination of two different feed rates, 0.1 and 0.15 mm/tooth; cutting speeds, 100 and 150 m/min; Depth of Cut (DoC), 2 and 3 mm and coolant on for all the trials. The cutting tool has two inserts and therefore has two cutting edges. The trial sample is mounted on a dynamometer (type 9257B) to measure the cutting forces during the trials. The cutting force data obtained is later analyzed using DynaWare supplied by Kistler. The machined sample is subjected to surface roughness (Ra) measurement using a 3D optical surface profilometer (Alicona Infinite Focus). A comprehensive metallography process consisting of mounting, polishing and etching was conducted on a before and after machined sample in order to make a comparative analysis of the microstructural changes due to machining. The microstructural images were capture using a digital microscope. The microhardness test were conducted on a Vickers scale (Hv) using a Vickers microhardness tester. Initial bulk hardness testing conducted on the material show that the alloy is having a hardness of 83.4 HRb. This study expects an increase in hardness mostly due to work hardening may be due to phase transformation. The results obtained from the cutting trials are analyzed in order to judge the machinability of the material. Some of the criteria used for machinability evaluation are cutting force analysis, surface texture analysis, metallographic analysis and microhardness analysis. The methodology followed in each aspect of the investigation is similar to and inspired by similar research conducted on other materials. However, the novelty of this research is the investigation of various aspects of machinability and drawing comparisons between each other while attempting to justify each result obtained to the microstructural changes observed which influence the behaviour of the alloy. Due to the limited scope of the paper, machinability criteria such as chip morphology, Metal Removal Rate (MRR) and tool wear are not included in this paper. All aspects are then compared and the optimum machining parameters are justified with a scope for future investigations.

This paper presents a study of tool wear and geometry response when machinability tests were applied under milling operations on the Super Austenitic Stainless Steel alloy AL-6XN. Eight milling trials were executed under two cutting speeds, two feed rates, and two depths of cuts. Cutting edge profile measurements were performed to reveal response of cutting edge geometry to the cutting parameters and wear. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to inspect the cutting edges. Results showed the presence of various types of wear such as adhesion wear and abrasion wear on the tool rake and flank faces. Adhesion wear represents the formation of the built-up edge, crater wear, and chipping, whereas abrasion wear represents flank wear. The commonly formed wear was crater wear. Therefore, the optimum tool life among the executed cutting trails was identified according to minimum length and depth of the crater wear. The profile measurements showed the formation of new geometries for the worn cutting edges due to adhesion and abrasion wear and the cutting parameters. The formation of the built-up edge was observed on the rake face of the cutting tool. The microstructure of the built-up edge was investigated using SEM. The built-up edge was found to have the austenite shear lamellar structure which is identical to the formed shear lamellae of the produced chip.

Abstract. This paper presents tool wear study when a machinability test was applied using milling on Super Austenitic Stainless Steel AL6XN alloy. Eight milling trials were performed under two cutting speeds, 100 m/min and 150 m/min, combined with two feed rates at 0.1mm/tooth and 0.15 mm/tooth and two depth of cuts at 2 mm and 3 mm. An Alicona 3D optical surface profilometer was used to scan cutting inserts flank and rake face areas for wear. Readings such as maximum and minimum deviations were extracted and used to analyse the outcomes. Results showed various types of wear were generated on the tool rake and flank faces. The common formed wear was the crater wear. The formation of the build-up edge was observed on the rake face of the cutting tool.

No abstract

No abstract