Wear behavior of ZrAlN coated cutting tools during turning
In this study we explore the cutting performance of ZrAlN coatings. WC:Co cutting inserts coated by cathodic arc evaporated Zr1-xAlxN coatings with x between 0 and 0.83 were testeciin a longitudinal turning operation. The progress of wear was studied by optical microscopy and the used inserts were studied by electron microscopy. The cutting performance was correlated to the coating composition and the best performance was found for the coating with highest Al-content consisting of a wurtzite ZrAlN phase which is assigned to its high thermal stability. Material from the work piece was observed to adhere to the inserts during turning and the amount of adhered material and its chemical composition is independent on the Al-content of the coating. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. ; Funding Agencies|Vinnova (Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems) through the VINN Excellence Center on Functional Nanoscale Materials (Fun Mat)