Wear behavior of ZrAlN coated cutting tools during turning

• We study the wear of arc evaporated ZrAlN coatings during a turning operation.
• The wear was studied using optical and electron microscopy.
• The wurtzite structure ZrAlN coating shows the best cutting performance.
• The adhered material on the tool surface is independent on coating composition.

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 tested in 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.