Investigation of Hadfield Steel Machinability in Milling Operations

Hadfield steel is widely used in the manufacture of machines and mechanisms operating in harsh conditions. When machining Hadfield steel parts, problems are due to the strain hardening. The article studies the influence of cutting modes on steel hardness, tool thrust and surface roughness when milling Hadfield steel using cutters with replaceable inserts. The experiments were conducted on a milling machining center using high-productivity cutting tools. The optical roughness measuring method was applied. Hardness was measured with a portable hardness tester before and after milling. The article describes experimental results that show the dependence of the output machining parameters on the cutting speed and feed per tooth. The influence of cutting data on tool life in a finish milling operation was identified. The results will help to improve the quality and productivity and increase the tool life in roughing and finishing Hadfield steel parts.