Application of CBN cutting tools in hard turning and tool wear

Considerable research has been directed towards discovering new engineering materials for various applications. As a superhard material, Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN) has been developed and applied to engineering for several tens of years. Due to its high specific strength and stiffness as well as good creep, fatigue and wear resistance at elevated temperatures, CBN has been widely used as cutting tool material in manufacturing industry. In this paper, the preparation and characteristics of CBN are introduced. As hard turning has been more and more employed in recent years as an advanced metal cutting technique, the application of CBN cutting tools in hard turning is presented based on the literature, and in particular, the main wear mechanisms of CBN tools in hard turning are summarized, owing to the significant influence of tool wear on the tool life and product quality.