WEAR MAPS OF SI3N4 CERAMIC CUTTING-TOOL

Wear maps of a Si3N4 ceramic cutting tool for cutting 1045 plain carbo n and 302 stainless steels are produced in this paper, Through the sys tematic turning tests, the optimum cutting regions were determined on the wear maps of a two-dimensional diagram of cutting speed and feed r ate, They are important for selecting the appropriate cutting paramete rs for a ceramic tool when cutting different workpieces, The wear morp hologies and wear mechanisms for the different regions were investigat ed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive analys is of x-ray (EDX), and the corresponding cutting temperature distribut ions were measured by a thermal video system, Based on the experiment results, the relationships between cutting conditions, cutting tempera tures, and wear mechanisms were discussed in detail.