Effect of machining parameters and coating on wear mechanisms in dry drilling of aluminium alloys

The temperature generated by friction and plastic deformation in the secondary shear zone strongly controls tool wear. At lower cutting speeds tool wear is not severe insofar as the temperature is not significant. When the cutting speed is increased, there is a transition in wear mechanisms from abrasion and/or adhesion to diffusion. In the present paper, the change in wear mechanisms as a function of cutting speed and coating material is discussed. The cutting tests were performed on a rigid instrumented drilling bench without the use of cutting fluids. AA2024 aluminium alloy was used to investigate the wear mechanisms of cemented tungsten carbide and HSS tools. Three cutting speeds (25, 65 and 165 m/min) and a constant feed rate of 0.04 mm/rev were selected for the experiments. The best results in terms of maximum and minimum hole diameter deviations and surface roughness are obtained for the uncoated and coated tungsten carbide drills. The results also show that HSS tool is not suitable for dry machining of AA2024 aluminium alloy.