Machinability of Intermetallic Compound Fe₃Al from the Viewpoint of Tool Wear

抄録

The intermetallic compound Fe₃Al was processed by a reactive sintering process, and its machinability from the viewpoint of tool wear was investigated using dry turning. In cutting Fe₃Al with a cemented carbide tool, the tool life was approximately one tenth that of cutting carbon tool steel SK3 because of intense flank wear. The tool life for cutting Fe₃Al using the cemented carbide P20(WC-TiC-TaC-Co) tool was longer than for cemented carbide K10(WC-Co). In addition, a cermet tool reached its tool life limit by chipping for the whole cutting speed range measured. The roughness of the machined surface of Fe₃Al cut using a cemented carbide tool was much smaller than for SK3. However, for cutting using the cermet tool, the roughness showed a sharp rise due to chipping. It was found that the wear rate of the WC particles in the tool material is larger than TiC particles. The results of the study suggest that the cemented carbide P20 is suitable for cutting Fe₃Al.