Wear of advanced ceramics for tool materials

The anti-wear behaviour of some fine ceramics (including oxides, nitride-based, mixed, and composites) for tool materials is investigated in a set of laboratory experiments. The experimental trials are designed in order to monitor wear patterns obtained in extreme conditions (even unusual for the customary industrial use of such materials) from a two-fold point of view, as described hereafter. These materials are used for targets in erosion tests under oblique and orthogonal impacting conditions. Also, the same materials are used for cutting tools in continuous dry turning experiments, using a hypereutectic aluminium-based alloy (containing also: Si 17-19%, Fe 1.20% max, Mg 0.4-0.7%) for the work-material. The results of erosion tests are discussed in terms of crater wear, together with the results of the machining experiments in terms of flank wear. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.