Creating the micro-grooves on tool rake face for improving the anti-wear properties

Due to high ability of built-up edge formation during aluminum machining, this study aim to reducing adhesive wear and increasing surface integrity of 5052 aluminum alloy workpiece has been focused on creating different surface texture on tungsten carbide cutting tool. For this purpose, four types of micro-grooves such as parallel and perpendicular to cutting edge and also pit and cross mode have been created on rake face by laser machining process. In addition to the types of texture, three methods of cooling-lubrication condition include: dry machining, flood mode without pressure and flood mode with high-pressure along with various holder and cutting inserts (with chip-breaker and without chip-breaker) as well as three levels of cutting speed (fixed feed rate and depth of cut) were considered as process variables. The experimental results obtained from surface roughness survey of the machined parts along with prepared images of optical microscopy from the workpiece surface showed that the presence of parallel micro-grooves significantly improves the cooling-lubrication conditions of the tool-chip surface and its effect on numerical reduction of surface roughness value and reduction of density of defective regions on the workpiece surface is visible. The prepared images by scanning electron microscope (SEM) of the tool rake face showed that the presence of chip-breaker did not significantly effect on reduction of adhesion wear in the machining of aluminum alloy but micro-texture can be largely improved the adhesion wear area compared to non-textured tool (with chip-breaker or without chip-breaker).