Cutting Tool Materials: Mechanical Properties—Wear-Resistance Relationships

Abstract

The abrasive wear resistance of cutting tool materials was found to be related to the properties of fracture toughness and hardness. This study has shown that the abrasive wear resistances of three classes of tool materials, brittle, brittle-ductile, and ductile, are controlled by the specific response of each material to the abrader. For brittle ceramics, the mechanical properties parameter K_IC ^3/4 H^1/2 describes the abrasive wear resistance as determined in a grinding test and predicts performance in machining applications in which abrasion predominates. For cemented carbides and tool steels which can accommodate much higher degrees of plastic deformation and are less prone to fracture, fracture toughness has considerably less influence on the abrasive wear resistance.