Cutting tools are subjected to extremely unfavorable conditions during machining operations. High cutting temperatures, compressive and shearing stresses, chemical attacks, variable cyclic thermal and mechanical loads are some adverse conditions that wear and damage these tools. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the process of tool wear and damage and how the cutting parameters affect it in order to underpin decisions regarding the most favorable conditions to address the problem. This article treats on some forms and mechanism of wear and damage that cemented carbides can undergo during machining. Special attention was given to damages caused during interrupted cutting (e.g., milling), such as fracture, chipping and thermal fatigue. Experimental details and results of the latter phenomenon, which was studied under different cutting conditions, are discussed and confronted with literature.
Cemented carbide tools; milling; tool damage; thermal fatigue
