LAUSR

Ceramic cutting tools are widely used particularly in high-speed machining of difficult-to-machine materials. However, using cutting fluid with these ceramic tools significantly reduces tool life. Therefore, the inclusion of a cooling/lubrication method into the process to improve the machining performance of ceramic tools will make machining efficiency much more effective. The aim of this study is to analyze the effect of cutting parameters and cooling/lubricating conditions on tool wear and surface roughness in the milling of nickel-based Waspaloy with ceramic tools. The cutting tools selected for the study were Ti[C, N]-mixed alumina inserts (CC650), SiC whisker-reinforced alumina inserts (CC670) and alumina and SiAlON ceramic inserts (CC6060). The machining parameters comprised three different cooling/lubricating methods (dry, wet and MQL), three different cutting speeds (500, 600 and 700 m/min) and three different feed rates (0.02, 0.04 and 0.06 mm/rev). Analysis of variance was used to determine the effects of the machining parameters on tool wear and surface roughness. In addition, a regression analysis was conducted to identify the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. According to the experimental results, the minimum quantity lubrication method was identified as the best cooling method for minimum tool wear and surface roughness. In terms of ceramic grades, the SiAlON inserts provided better results in all experimental trials. The dominant wear types observed in all cutting tools were flank wear and notch wear.