Effect of Si and Al Additions to Steel on Machinability in Gear Cutting

The influence of Si and Al additions to 0.55 mass% C steel on machinability is discussed in cutting with a fly tool of TiAlN coated high speed steel, as performed in gear cutting. Three model steels are prepared with controlling nearly the same hardness to study the effects of the alloying elements: one reference steel with C as the only alloying element (Base steel), and two steels alloyed also with 1 mass% Si or Al. The cutting tests are performed to obtain the cutting forces, observe the cutting chips and analyze the damage on the rake faces of the tools. The orthogonal cutting data in the cutting force simulation are identified to minimize the discrepancies between the measured and the simulated forces for the tested steels. When cutting the Base steel, few adhered material form and the coated thin layer is worn mainly by abrasion. When cutting the Si alloyed steel, the coating surface is covered by adhered layers containing Si–O, Fe2SiO4 and FeO, which contribute to the lowest friction and protect the coated thin layer from wear. When cutting the Al alloyed steel, an Al2O3 layer forms on the coating. The Al2O3 layer induces high friction, large cutting forces and cutting heat, resulting in the rapid substrate softening and coating fracture.