Machinability of Intermetallic Compound Fe3Al from the Viewpoint of Tool Wear

Abstract

The intermetallic compound Fe 3 Al was processed by a reactive sintering process, and its machinability from the viewpoint of tool wear was investigated using dry turning. In cutting Fe 3 Al with a cemented carbide tool, the tool life was approximately one tenth that of cutting carbon tool steel SK3 because of intense flank wear. The tool life for cutting Fe 3 Al using the cemented carbide P20 (WC-TiC-TaC-Co) tool was longer than for cemented carbide K10 (WC-Co). In addition, a cermet tool reached its tool life limit by chipping for the whole cutting speed range measured. The roughness of the machined surface of Fe 3 Al cut using a cemented carbide tool was much smaller than for SK3. However, for cutting using the cermet tool, the roughness showed a sharp rise due to chipping. It was found that the wear rate of the WC particles in the tool material is larger than TiC particles. The results of the study suggest that the cemented carbide P20 is suitable for cutting Fe 3 Al.

Tool wear and surface roughness during machining of high-temperature aluminized steel

“…Our previous work on cutting Fe-Al intermetallic compounds (Sasaki and Yakou, 2006) showed that the wear of a P-type (WC-TiC-TaC-Co) cemented carbide tool is lower than that of a K-type (WC-Co). Therefore, a throw-away P20 type tool, as shown in Fig.…”

Iron Aluminides

“…Machining of iron aluminides by all standard techniques such as grinding, turning, threading, and drilling has been demonstrated (272)(273)(274). However, "iron-aluminum alloys tend to work harden" and thus "sharp tools and slow speeds are required" (25, appendix A, p. 2).…”