Adhesive wear of TiAlN coatings during low speed turning of stainless steel 316L

The wear behavior of TiAlN coatings during turning of stainless steel 316L at low cutting speeds (60–120 m/min) was investigated using scanning electron microscopy. In this speed range, the coatings fail by fracture due to an adhesive wear mechanism. The fracture of the coating is described in detail, including the strong influence of Al-content and cutting speed on the rate of wear. Low Al-content (x ≤ 0.23) coatings showed worse wear resistance than high Al-content (x ≥ 0.53) samples. Less substrate is exposed when the cutting speed is increased, because of reduced adhesive wear. The TiN and Ti0.77Al0.23N coatings are severely worn for all cutting speeds while Ti0.47Al0.53N and Ti0.38Al0.62N remain essentially unaffected at the highest speed. The difference in wear behavior is interpreted as a difference in the fracture toughness of the coatings.