Dry turning of alumina/aluminum composites with CVD diamond coated Co-cemented tungsten carbide tools

Triangular (TPGN 160308) WC–6 wt.%Co inserts having different average grain sizes (1 and 3 μm) were submitted to surface roughening either by wet etching with Murakami's reagent or by a heat treatment in the hot filament chemical vapour deposition (HFCVD) reactor. The heat treatment was performed in a monohydrogen-rich atmosphere at substrate temperatures as high as 1000 °C. Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy showed that this pre-treatment led to surface roughening of the as-ground inserts and to a lower surface Co concentration. Prior to deposition, all inserts were etched with an acid solution of hydrogen peroxide. Diamond coatings were deposited by HFCVD. The coated inserts were tested by dry machining of aluminum–matrix composite (Al–10%Al2O3) bars. Turning test results indicated that a proper combination of substrate pretreatment and microstructure can significantly improve tool life.