Tool Failure Analysis

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 Categories of Tool Failure
Abrasive Wear Flank Wear

Chipping
(Flank Chipping)
Mechanical (Rake Face Chipping)
Failure Depth-of-Cut Notching
Fracture

Built Up Edge
Rake Surface
Flank Surface
Heat Failure Thermal Cracking
Crater Wear
Thermal Deformation

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Flank
Wear

Insert Drill

Observed on the tool clearance face

Caused by abrasion of the flank
Worsened by higher temperatures (speed)
and cutting tool pressure
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Abrasive Wear
Flank Wear - 0.008(0.203mm)

Trailing edge

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Wear Land

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 Useable life
of the tool
0.025 (0.635)

0.020 (0.508)
WEAR IN. (MM)

0.015 (0.381)

0.010 (0.254)

0.005 (0.128)

0.000

0 5 10 15 20 25

TIME

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Flank
Wear

Flank wear is the desired tool failure

mechanism.
Only failure mechanism that is predictable
Produces consistent tool life

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Mechanical
Failure
Chipping
Notching
Fracture

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 Chipping
Flank Chipping
Rake Face Chipping

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Mechanical Chipping
(Flank chipping)

Cutting Forces

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Small Chip on
Rake Surface
Large Chip on
Flank Surface

Flank Chipping
(Mechanical)
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 Rake Face Chipping
(Thermal Expansion)

FORCE HEAT

Inadequate
Clearance

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Rake Face Chipping Due to Thermal
Expansion and Radial Cutting Forces

Rake Surface Flank Surface

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Rake Face
Chipping

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DOC Notching

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Depth-of-Cut
Notching

Localized failure at the depth of cut line.

Localized Chipping
Localized Cratering
Typical with SS, high temperature alloys,
& all work-hardening materials
Typical when the workpieces has scale or a hardened
surface
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 Minimizing
Depth-of-Cut Notching
CVD coatings
Cobalt enriched grades
Increased lead angle (thins the chip reducing forces)
Use tapered cuts

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Fracture

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 Fracture

Chipping or breakage
Common in interrupted cuts
and in non-rigid setups
Many potential causes;
good application practices are essential

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 Minimizing Fracture--
Chipping and Breakage
Tougher cutting tool material:
Cobalt enriched grades
higher cobalt
TiC, & TaC, bearing grades
Stronger geometry
Maximize rigidity

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Heat Related
Failure
Built Up Edge
Thermal Cracking
Cratering
Thermal Deformation
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Built Up Edge

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 Built-Up Edge

(Flank) (Rake Face)

Welding of workpiece material to tool edge
Rake Face BUE
Flank BUE
Commonly occurs on soft, gummy workpiece
materials

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 Rake Face
Built up Edge

Welding of workpieces
material to the rake face of
the cutting tool. Loss of
effective geometry causes
increases in cutting forces
and eventual tool breakage.

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 Minimizing Rake Face
Built Up Edge

Higher cutting speed

PVD Coatings
Polished edges
Coolant
Minimize flank wear

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Flank Face
Built up Edge

This is normally associated with inadequate clearance

angles under the cutting edge.
Soft Springy materials tends to spring-back after
being cut and rubs the flank of the tool.

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Thermal-Mechanical
Cracking

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 Thermal Cracking
Evenly-spaced cracks
perpendicular to the edge
Commonly observed in
milling
and interrupted cutting
Caused by thermal shock
cycling -- repeated heating
and cooling of the edge

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 Minimizing
Thermal Cracking
Tougher, more thermal-shock-resistant
tool material
Use a grade with more TaC content
Higher cobalt content carbide grade
Avoid coolant if possible
or assure a steady supply

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Cratering

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Cratering

Insert Drill

Observed on the rake face of the tool

Typical in machining carbon steels at elevated
speeds.
Caused by extreme heat & pressure of chip
Involves diffusion or dissolution of tool material
into the chip
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Minimizing Crater Wear

Reduce Cutting speed

Higher TiC Content grade
Lower cobalt grade
Use CVD coated grades
Al2O3
TiC

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 Thermal
Deformation

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 Thermal
Deformation

A bulging or blunting of the tool edge

Typical in machining alloy steels
at elevated speeds
Caused by excessive heat and pressure
Tool binder softens and allows movement
of the carbide grains
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 Minimizing
Thermal Deformation
Use grades with higher TaC content
Use grades with lower cobalt content
Use CVD coated grades
Al2O3
TiC

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