Effect of cutting speed on surface integrity and chip morphology in high-speed machining of PM nickel-based superalloy FGH95

High-speed machining is being recognized as one of the key manufacturing technologies for getting higher productivity and better surface integrity. FGH95 powder metallurgy superalloy is a kind of nickel-based superalloy which is produced by near-net-shape technology. With increasing demands for high precision and high performance of FGH95 components in aerospace industry, it is essential to recognize that the machined surface integrity may determine machined part service performance and reliability. Then, little is known about the machined surface integrity of this superalloy. Thus, the surface integrity in high-speed machining of FGH95 is investigated in this paper. Experiments are conducted on a CNC milling center with coated carbide tools under dry cutting conditions. The surface integrity is evaluated in terms of surface roughness, microhardness, and white layer. The influence of cutting speed on chip morphology is also investigated. Experiment results show that surface integrity and chip morphology of FGH95 are very sensitive to the cutting speed. When cutting speeds are below 2,400 m/min, the values of surface roughness have little variation, while when cutting speeds are in the range of 2,800–3,600 m/min, the values of surface roughness are higher than that of other cutting speeds. Severe work hardening is observed resulting from high-speed machining of FGH95 superalloy. The higher the cutting speed, the higher the surface hardness. When cutting speeds are in the range of 2,800–3,600 m/min, the white layer thickness is slightly higher than that of other cutting speeds. In high-speed machining of FGH95, the chip is segmented and has a typical sawtooth shape. The degree of serrated chip increases with the cutting speed. When the cutting speeds exceed 2,400 m/min, serrated chips change into fragment chips.