Preparation of tungsten disulfide (WS2) soft-coated nano-textured self-lubricating tool and its cutting performance

This paper proposes a new effective dry cutting tool named tungsten disulfide (WS2) soft-coated nano-textured self-lubricating tool which is fabricated by two steps. First, nano-texture is made on the tool-chip interface of rake face of uncoated YS8 (WC + TiC + Co) cemented carbide cutting inserts by femtosecond laser micromachining technology. Second, WS2 soft coating is deposited on the nano-textured tool by medium-frequency magnetron sputtering, multi-arc ion plating and ion beam assisted deposition technique. Dry turning tests on 45# quenched and tempered steel were carried out with three kinds of cutting tools: conventional YS8 tool, nano-textured tool (CFT), and WS2 soft-coated nano-textured self-lubricating tool (CFTWS). Results show that the cutting forces, cutting temperature, the friction coefficient at the tool-chip interface, and the antiadhesive effect of the nano-textured tools were significantly reduced compared with those of the conventional one. The CFTWS tool had the best cutting performance among all the tools tested under the same test conditions. Through cutting force and cutting temperature theoretical analysis and experimental results, four mechanisms responsible were found. The first one is explained as the formation of the WS2 lubricating film with low shear strength at the tool-chip interface, which was released from the surface nano textures and smeared on the rake face, and served as lubricating additive during dry cutting processes to reduce the cutting forces and cutting temperature. The second one is explained by the reduced contact length at the tool-chip interface of the nano-textured tools; the smaller direct contact area between the chip and tool rake face leads to less friction force, which can also contribute to the decrease of cutting forces and cutting temperature. The third one can be explained that because of the excellent lubricity of the WS2 lubricating film, the antiadhesive effect can be significantly improved which can reduce adhesive wear of the cutting tool and prolong the tool life. The fourth one can be explained that the advantage of CFTWS tool in cutting forces and cutting temperature is obvious in relatively high-speed and high-temperature conditions may be because of ultra-low friction coefficient, high temperature resistance, and the high oxidation resistance of WS2 soft coating which is not sensitive to high cutting temperature and high cutting speed can significantly improve the severe dry cutting environment.