This grant provides funding for development of a concept to improve dry metal cutting by utilizing naturally occurring oxides at the cutting tool-work piece interface to reduce friction and heat due to the cutting process, thereby reducing the need for coolant and lubricant fluids. The natural reaction product of the cutting-tool/work-piece interaction is one or more metal oxide. It is logical to work with, rather than against nature by designing a tool coating that produces its own lubricious oxide when the tool tip reaches a certain temperature. Coating compositions and structures have been proposed and these will be explored by unbalanced magnetron reactive sputter deposition. Nano-layer and dispersed-phase structures will be investigated with the idea of retaining high temperature strength, while controlling the rate of lubricious oxide formation. Compositions will be chosen that produce oxides at appropriate temperatures and that provide the inherent strength required for the cutting function. The structures and compositions will be fully characterized and correlation with performance will be made using instrumented cutting tests that provide information on cutting temperature, force, and work-piece surface finish.
If this project is successful, it will provide the foundation for the development of a new strategy in the design of dry-cutting tool coatings. It will provide insights to the development of successful processing techniques for the creation of the desired coating structures and for the incorporation of the desired oxide forming elements. It will provide fundamental data about the control of oxide formation and the behavior of such oxides as they impact cutting behavior. In practice, successful outcomes will contribute to a reduction in the use of cooling and lubricant fluids, which will favorably impact manufacturing costs and environmental quality in the work place.
