Structural state scale-dependent physical characteristics and endurance of cermet composite for cutting metal

Abstract

A structural-phase state developed on the surface of a TiC/Ni-Cr-Al cermet alloy under superfast heating and cooling produced by pulse electron beam melting has been presented. The effect of the surface's structural state multimodality on the temperature dependencies of thefriction and endurance of the cermet tool in cutting metal has been investigated. The high-energy flux treatment of subsurface layers by electron beam pulses in argon-containing gas discharge plasma serves to improve the endurance of metal cutting tools manifold (by a factor of 6), to reduce the friction via precipitation of secondary 200 nm carbides in binder interlayers. It is possible to improve the cermet tool endurance for cutting metal by a factor of 10-12 by irradiating the cermet in a reactive nitrogen-containing atmosphere with the ensuingprecipitation of nanosize 50 nm AlN particles in the binder interlayers.