Initial tool wear behavior in high-speed turning of Inconel 718

Three distinctive regions of tool wear, known as initial wear, steady-state wear, and accelerated wear, are well understood. However, the effects of cutting parameters on the initial tool wear mechanism, morphology, and size have received less attention as compared to the other two regions. Knowing that adequate control of initial tool wear may lead to extended tool life, in particular in hard-to-cut metals such as superalloys, this topic has become a source of attention. Amongst superalloys, Inconel 718 is considered as one of the most difficult to cut materials, which has a wide range of industrial applications. This study intends to evaluate the effects of cutting parameters on initial tool wear, as well as tool wear progression, when turning Inconel 718. Therefore, microstructural evaluation of the initial tool wear mode under various cutting conditions, as well as tool wear measurements, were conducted. It was observed that certain elements of the workpieces were migrated to the insert flank face. This is evidence of adhesion at the initial moments of the cutting process. In contrast to many other easy-to-cut materials, the steady-state wear period when turning Inconel 718 is significantly short under a higher level of cutting speed and feed rate.