Wear mechanism of cemented carbide insert in milling of high-strength steel

A certain high-strength steel is a kind of difficult-to-cut material. End face milling experiment was carried out on the material by using cemented carbide inserts added TaC, NbC. Cutting tool life and distribution range of milling temperature on the rake face were obtained under different cutting rates. Wear characteristic and mechanism of the insert were also studied with the aid of scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results show that the diffusion wear of hard phase is intensified after the tear and shear of the adhering layer on the flank. The wear form on the rake face is characterized as broad crater, which is directly influenced by the distribution of milling temperature. Furthermore, the depth of the crater as well as the degree of oxidation and diffusion wear increase along the direction of the chip flow-out.