Assessment of tool wear mechanisms in high-pressure jet-assisted turning process of a nickel-based superalloy

Nickel-based superalloys have many beneficial mechanical and manufacturing properties and have been used in various industries. However, the machining process and efficiency of these superalloys can be challenging due to several non-ideal factors such as undesirable chips flow, localized plastic deformation of the workpiece, and especially the tool wear. It has been shown that hybrid processes, including high-pressure jet-assisted machining (HPJAM), can be performed to improve machining efficiency. This work represents experimental methods to investigate and to quantify the effect of high-pressure jet-assisted machining on the tool wear mechanisms. The influence of variation of the turning parameters such as cutting speed, feed rate, and cutting fluid pressure on wear mechanisms was investigated along the tool rake face with respect to the position of the nozzles. An optical microscope, a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analyses were used to assess the experiments. Experimental results showed that the abrasion wear was reduced, as the cutting fluid pressure was increased. The adhesion wear was minimized when an optimum fluid pressure range was used. The same behavior was observed in the development of notch wear. According to the measured parameters, the minimum notch wear occurred at the pressure of 70-bar. The tool life could be maximized by reduction of the tool wear, and the tool wear mechanisms can be better controlled if the high-pressure jet-assisted machining is performed under an optimum pressure range. Therefore, the tool wear, tool life, and material removal rates can be improved by optimizing the pressure levels and cutting parameters.