ABSTRACT
The success of a machining operation strongly depends on the proper selection and performance of the cutting tool and its material. This chapter first introduces the reader to various types of cutting tools and their materials’ properties with particular reference to their hot hardness temperatures. Then the wear and failure of cutting tools have been discussed with the aid of illustrations and failure criteria; here various means to avoid tool wear and failure have been recommended. Since the quality of a cutting tool is dictated by its life, tool life has been quantitatively and graphically analyzed with the aid of Taylor’s tool life equation. The effects of the three cutting conditions (cutting speed, feed, and depth of cut) on tool life have been numerically considered. Finally, cutting fluids and their characteristics have been explained/recommended. This chapter contains 5 diagrams, 6 Tables, 15 calculations/worked examples, and 8 MCQs with their answers.
