Fracture behaviour of WC-Co cutting tools under consideration of the microstructure

• Applicants: Dr.-Ing. Benjamin Bergmann; Dr. Mathias Herrmann
• Subject Area: Metal-Cutting and Abrasive Manufacturing Engineering
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 571859262

Due to their properties, cemented carbides are the most important cutting materials for cutting processes. Their composition and coating are specifically tailored to the respective application in order to minimise tool wear and breakage. Unpredictable cutting edge breakages are particularly critical and can lead to scrap in automated processes. Production engineering is therefore intensively investigating the failure behaviour and optimising the cutting edge geometry, particularly under dynamic loads such as when machining titanium alloys (e.g. Ti6Al4V). Deficits with regard to the knowledge of the tool load and the prediction of cutting edge breakage are found in particular under dynamic load, for example with resulting shear chip formation, and thus with a large number of industrially necessary materials such as titanium alloys. Current models do not adequately capture the complex fracture behaviour as they do not take statistical failure probabilities into account. The research project therefore aims to gain a better understanding of these relationships and to integrate them into simulation models in order to be able to design carbide tools in a process- reliable and application-orientated manner.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Dr.-Ing. Johannes Pötschke