ABSTRACT
The materials for cutting tools have traditionally been chosen for their excellent hardness and wear resistance under the extreme service conditions (high stresses and temperatures) associated with a high-speed machining operation. The interaction between the tool and workpiece was once thought to lie wholly in the domain of the mechanical or physical response of the system to these conditions, and little attention was paid to the role of chemical interactions between the tool and the machined part. Recent research has challenged this viewpoint, and it is now realized that extensive physical as well as chemical interactions can occur, both between the tool and the workpiece, as well as with the surrounding atmosphere. These considerations have become of even greater importance with the current drive to higher machining rates, often under conditions where a lubricant is not or cannot be used, that marks modern manufacturing trends.
