Abrasive wear performance of tungsten carbide based self-lubricant cutting tool material

The present study reported the friction and wear performance of the in-house developed tungsten carbide based solid lubricant materials. Calcium fluoride was used as a solid lubricant material and developed for the cutting tool application through ball milling, cold compaction and sintering process. Various amounts (0-10 wt.%) of calcium fluoride were considered and the friction wear performance was evaluated with the aid of the pin on disc test rig against abrasive sheet. Weight and surface roughness of the test specimens were measured before and after the test, in addition to the continuous measurement of frictional force and wear during the test. Worn-out test surfaces were observed under scanning electron microscope and three dimensional profiler to understand the wear mechanisms. The test material with 5 wt.% CaF2 exhibited less friction and more wear resistance when compared to the other investigated materials. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis confirmed the presence of calcium and fluoride on the worn-out surface. Improved hardness and presence of lubricants in the developed material were found to reduce the friction and improve the wear resistance of material containing 5 wt.% CaF2.