Wear behavior and cutting performance of nanostructured hard coatings on cemented carbide cutting tools in hard milling

The influence of nanolayer AlTiN/TiN and multilayer nanocomposite TiAlSiN/TiSiN/TiAlN hard coatings on the wear behavior and cutting performance of carbide cutting tools was investigated in face milling of hardened AISI O2 cold work tool steel (∼58 HRC) at dry conditions. Characterization of the coatings was performed using nanoindentation, scratch test, reciprocating multi-pass wear test. The chips forming during cutting process were also analyzed. Results showed that abrasive and oxidation wear are dominant tool failures. The nanolayer AlTiN/TiN coating gives the best adhesion to the substrate, the best wear resistance in machining and thus provides the longest lifetime with carbide inserts. ► The influence of nanostructured coatings on the wear behavior of carbide tools. ► Mechanical and tribological properties of nanostructured coatings. ► nl-AlTiN/TiN coating shows superior adhesion to AISI D2 substrate. ► nc-TiAlSiN/TiSiN/TiAlN coating has higher plastic deformation resistance. ► nl-AlTiN/TiN coating provides longer lifetime to carbide cutting tools.