Fatigue behavior of two notched cutting tool materials – high speed steel and cemented carbide

Fatigue testing experiments and computer-simulations have been conducted for notched specimens of two cutting-tool materials: high speed steel (M42 HSS) and cemented carbide composite (WC-10Co). The effects of varying loads and notches on the fatigue lives of M42 HSS and WC-10Co, including a comparative study of the fatigue behavior of the two cutting-tool materials, have been reported. The fatigue behavior of the two cutting-tool materials has been investigated by developing their S-N curves as well as by examinations of the fracture surfaces of the materials. A fatigue life of 107 cycles corresponding to a fatigue limit of 430 × 106 Nm−2 was determined for M42 HSS. It has been found that a reduction of stress amplitude by 60 × 106 Nm−2 results in an increase of fatigue life by around 175 percent for the notched specimens of cemented carbide. The computer simulation studies involved the use of ANSYS finite element analysis (FEA) as well as SolidWorks software packages. Both experimental and simulation results were found to be in agreement. The research findings should enable engineers to select a suitable cutting tool material with a notch for application under cyclic stressed machining.