MAPPING THE WEAR OF SOME CUTTING-TOOL MATERIALS

In this short paper, a map describing the flank-wear characteristics of uncoated high-speed-steel (HSS) cutting tools during turning operations is presented. In this map, there is a region where the rate of flank wear is lowest, called the safety zone. The presence of this safety zone suggests that it may be possible to select the machining parameters so that a machinist can operate with the lowest amount of tool wear without compromising the level of productivity desired.