Tool wear and surface integrity during high-speed turning of hardened steel with polycrystalline cubic boron nitride tools

This paper examines the tool wear characteristics and surface integrity during high-speed turning of D2 tool steel. The effects of different process parameters, including tool wear and edge preparation, on the surface and subsurface damage were examined using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Modes of tool wear were investigated under different cutting conditions. The X-ray diffraction technique was also employed to measure the residual stress distributions beneath the machined surface. Various forms of surface damage were observed under different cutting conditions. A wide range of residual stress distributions beneath the machined surface were obtained depending on the cutting conditions and edge preparation. The unfavourable tensile residual stresses were minimized at high cutting speeds and high depths of cut. This reveals the possibility of optimizing the cutting conditions for favourable residual stresses.