A Brief Review of White Layer Formation in Hard Machining with a Case Study

White layer formation is a phenomenon which is found to occur during hard machining. White layer is brittle and can cause crack in the machined surfaces. It affects fatigue strength and service life of the machined components. To obtain a product with proper strength and toughness, white layer elimination is a necessary condition. In the present work, a thorough literature review about the formation of white layer, its effect and the remedial procedures how to prevent it is presented. Based on the literature, a case study is also presented in the present work to study the influence of cutting parameters on white layer formation with respect to the corresponding micro-hardness. The experimental study confirmed that, cutting speed and flank wear has direct influence on white layer thickness (WLT) and micro-hardness.