Cutting tool wear analysis on drilling process of Inconel 718 superalloy

Abstract

Inconel 718 is a high thermic and mechanical resistance, nickel-based alloy, what makes it broadly used on the aerospace industry, being normally implemented on aircrafts cone tail and on engine components. However, these characteristics turn into a problem during the machining of this type of material. During the drilling process, for example, the cutting tools show excessive wear due to high temperatures and pressure on the cutting edge. Nevertheless, there are countless parameters that may influence the life of a cutting tool, that when analyzed and well defined, set the types of modification needed to enable less tool wear and, hence, a stretch on the its lifespan. Taking in consideration this context and knowing that the study of tool life on the drilling process of Inconel 718 has paramount importance to the aerospace sector, the project proposes a study to analyze the wear of various types of cutting tools used to drill the nickel-based alloy, through the combination of various machining parameters. So, the project has the goal of execute mechanical drilling tests on Inconel 718 sheets, with various cutting parameters, using the Taguchi method as a quality tool to investigate the process and, hence, the cutting tool wear analyzes under different variables.