Journal of Materials Processing Technology 216 (2015) 123132

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Journal of Materials Processing Technology

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jmatprotec

The effect of tool nose radius on surface integrity and residual stresses
when turning Inconel 718TM
A.R.C. Sharman , J.I. Hughes, K. Ridgway
The Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing, The University of Shefeld, Wallis Way, Rotherham, Shefeld, S60 5TZ, UK

a r t i c l e

i n f o

Article history:
Received 10 April 2014
Received in revised form 1 August 2014
Accepted 4 September 2014
Available online 16 September 2014
Keywords:
Heat resistant super alloys
Residual stress
Surface integrity
Machining

a b s t r a c t
This paper investigates the inuence of tool nose radius on the residual stress distribution developed in
Inconel 718 by nish turning. Although previous studies have shown that changes in rake angle, cutting
edge geometry and nose radius can affect the tool performance and resulting workpiece surface integrity,
no systematic study examining nose radius has been performed. Cutting force, microstructural alteration
and residual stress distribution have been analysed for machining trials examining 2, 3, 4 and 6 mm
radius tools at various feed rates and in both the new and worn tool condition. In general the results show
that an increase in tool nose radius results in; increased radial cutting forces, increased microstructural
deformation depth, higher near surface tensile stresses (up to 1550 MPa with a worn tool), and deeper
tensile and compressive residual stress distribution.
2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Inconel 718 is a high strength, heat resistant superalloy (HRSA)
that is used extensively in the aerospace industry for the hot sections of gas turbine engines. It is typically used for components
such as, turbine disks, blades, combustors, casings, etc. Moll (2008)
reported that Inconel 718 accounts for between 50% and 78% of
nickel alloys used by the main aircraft engine producers. Donachie
and Donachie (2002) state that Inconel 718 became the world
standard nickel based superalloy for gas turbine engines because it
is cheaper and more readily available (than competing alloys) and
has excellent strength properties up to 650 C.
The properties that make Inconel 718 an important engineering
material are also responsible for its generally poor machinability. Low thermal conductivity (11.4 W/mK) leads to high cutting
temperatures being developed in the cutting zone. Kitagawa et al.
(1997) reported that when machining Inconel 718 with CBN tools
at a cutting speed of 30 m/min the temperature measured was
around 900 C, with over 1300 C being found at 300 m/min. Conversely, Thakur et al. (2009) reported lower cutting temperatures of
480510 C when turning Inconel 718 with tungsten carbide tools
at 40 m/min, with temperatures of 580640 C being reported at
60 m/min. Smart and Trent (1975) found very steep temperature
gradients in the tool (compared to those seen for steels) with the

Corresponding author. Tel.: +44 1142227893.

E-mail address: a.sharman@shefeld.ac.uk (A.R.C. Sharman).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2014.09.002
0924-0136/ 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

maximum temperature being generated in the tool nose region.

The cutting forces generated were also very high, around double
that found when cutting medium carbon alloy steels. This, in combination with the relatively short chip tool contact length, means
that stress is concentrated on the area of maximum tool temperature leading to plastic deformation of the cutting edge. Nickel based
superalloys also have a high chemical afnity for many tool materials and as such form an adhering layer leading to diffusion and
attrition wear. Liao and Shiue (1996) stated that workpiece material elements (e.g. nickel and iron) diffuse into the tool along the Co
grain boundaries, weakening the bond between carbide particles
and the binder phase. This leads to a removal of carbide particles
and exposure of the low wear resistant cobalt phase to the machining process. Nickel based superalloys are also sensitive to strain
rate and rapidly work harden causing abrasive wear, particularly
at the depth of cut and leading edge positions. The presence of
hard phases in the microstructure, such as carbides, nitrides, oxides,
etc., further exacerbates tool abrasion. All of these factors together
with the materials ability to retain its mechanical properties to elevated temperatures make it one of the most difcult materials to
machine.
Studies on machining Inconel 718 have shown that the residual stress prole produced when turning is generally tensile at the
workpiece surface followed by a gradual reduction with increasing depth beneath it. Sadat and Reddy (1992, 1993) found that an
increase in cutting speed from 6 to 60 m/min reduced workpiece
surface damage, in the form of microstructural deformation, surface
tearing, etc., by reducing the cutting forces generated (by 400 N)
due to an increase in cutting temperature and corresponding drop

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A.R.C. Sharman et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 216 (2015) 123132

in workpiece mechanical strength. However, at the higher cutting

speed the maximum tensile residual stress value was increased.
Sharman et al. (2006) compared the effect of coated and uncoated
WC tools at various cutting speeds and feed rates and found the
opposite effect, in that higher cutting speeds produced lower peak
surface tensile stresses. It was stated that the higher chip ow rate
associated with increasing cutting speed reduced the length of time
available for the heat generated in the shear zone to diffuse into
the workpiece surface and consequently increased the amount of
thermal energy evacuated in the chip.
Gorsler (1985) stated that turning nickel-based superalloys
without the use of a cutting uid produced a higher and deeper
tensile residual stress prole than was seen when cutting wet due
to the higher temperatures generated. In contrast, Sadat and Reddy
(1992, 1993) found that machining dry actually reduced the peak
residual stress measured when compared to machining wet. However, the workpiece surfaces produced in the study were highly
cracked and it is expected that this would correspond to some stress
relief. Sharman et al. (2008) showed that the use of ultra high pressure coolant (UHPC) at 450 bar reduced the level of tensile stress
produced, and by directing coolant at the ank face of the tool,
compressive residual stresses could be obtained under conditions
that produce tensile stresses with ood coolant (5 bar), this was
attributed to the increased cooling ability of the directed UHPC jet.
Relatively, few studies have directly examined the inuence of
tool nose radius when machining nickel-based superalloys. Ezugwu
and Tang (1995) found that rhomboid-shaped inserts (1.2 mm nose
radius) induced greater near surface microhardness increases than
12 mm round inserts (in Inconel 718). Arunachalam et al. (2004)
reported that inserts with 1.2 and 1.6 mm nose radius produced
tensile residual stresses on the workpiece surface at 60 m/min
cutting speed, 0.1 mm/rev feed rate and 0.5 mm depth of cut. In
contrast, 0.8 mm nose radius and 12 mm round inserts produced
compressive residual stresses under the same conditions. Coelho
et al. (2004) also showed that a round ceramic insert produced
a compressive layer when machining Inconel 718 at 500 m/min
cutting speed, 0.1 mm/rev feed rate and 0.35 mm depth of cut. In
contrast Li et al. (2009) showed that when turning a powder metallurgy nickel based superalloy (RR1000) the use of a 12 mm round
insert produced a tensile surface stress of 1520 MPa (hoop direction) compared to 1000 MPa for a 0.8 mm nose radius insert. In
addition the 0.8 mm nose radius insert produced a deeper compressive stress beneath the tensile surface layer when compared to
the 12 mm round insert.
It is possible that larger radius tools can cause surface integrity
problems due to insufcient chip thickness at the trailing edge.
Chip thickness can be increased by the use of an increased feed
rate or depth of cut, but increases in both of these parameters will
lead to increased cutting forces, which can lead to surface integrity
problems.
None of the previously published studies have specically and
systematically studied the effect of varying tool nose radius and
chip thickness conditions on the residual stress distribution in
Inconel 718. Therefore, this work will focus on a range of tool nose
radii from 2 mm to 6 mm at various feed rates and chip thickness
to evaluate the cutting forces, microstuctural changes and residual
stress levels obtained.

2. Experimental procedure
2.1. Workpiece materials and equipment
The workpiece material used was a bar of Haynes 718 with a
chemical composition of 53.8% Ni, 18.1% Cr, 5.5% Nb, 2.9% Mo, 1%
Ti, 0.55% Al, 0.25% C, 0.04% Si, 0.06% Mn, and balance Fe (weight

percent). This material was solution treated and aged to a nominal

bulk hardness of 44 HRC.
All machining trials were conducted on a Cincinnati Hawk 300
turning centre employing a continuously variable spindle speed up
to a maximum of 3000 rpm and a drive motor rated up to 42 kW.
Cutting force was measured with a Kistler 9121 threecomponent piezoelectric dynamometer and associated 5070
multichannel charge amplier connected to a PC employing Kistler
Dynoware force measurement software. The sampling rate was set
at 1000 Hz and force data was captured in the x-axis (axial direction), y-axis (tangential direction) and z-axis (radial direction). For
the cutting force trials inserts where held in a DCLNL shank tool
holder. Unfortunately, the 4 mm radius tools could not be assessed
as a tool holder compatible with the Dynamometer was not available for this size of insert.
During the cutting tests the Dynoware software was set to
record immediately prior to the tool engaging the workpiece and
stopped a short time (approximately 10 s) after the forces had stabilised. This results in a short lead in on the force graphs as the
cutting forces ramp up from zero to a brief spike as the tool engages
before settling to a steady state. To obtain the cutting force values,
the lead in and engagement spike where ignored and the overall
value was taken from a mean of the steady state region. Maximum
and minimum values were obtained from the peaks and troughs
within the steady state region. See Fig. 1 for a typical example of
the force graph obtained from the Dynoware software.
Sections of the machined workpiece were cut out of the
bar using wire electrodischarge machining (wEDM). These samples were used for microstructural evaluation. Sections were hot
mounted in Bakelite, ground using SiC paper and polished with diamond grit. After polishing, they were immersion etched in Kallings
No. 2 reagent for around 10 s. Subsurface microstructural analysis
was conducted with a Leica optical microscope up to a maximum
of 1500 magnication. The depth of microstructural alteration
was examined at multiple points along the examined length and
an average value obtained for each set of parameters investigated.
Residual stress measurements were made using the blind hole
drilling technique. Due to the cost, timescale and complexity of
residual stress measurements each set of parameters was evaluated once. To minimise the inuence of the preparation process
on the residual stresses, the samples were prepared by sectioning
the machined bar using wEDM along its axis to form a single semicircular piece with a minimum thickness of 10 mm. Strain gauges
were installed along the centreline of the sample and in the centre of the each of the machined areas (minimum of 20 mm width
for each condition, which corresponded to around 1 min in cut
time). Target sites were rst subjected to a degreasing process using
acetone, followed by swab etching using acidic ferric chloride to
provide a suitable gauge bonding surface and nally neutralisation
using dilute ammonia. No abrasion was applied to the target sites.
Each site was further subjected to a secondary degreasing using
acetone. The gauges were then installed using glue. Gauge installation and drilling was conducted in accordance with the National
Physics Laboratory good practice guide by Grant et al. (2002).
The samples were then cemented to an angled plate and the
target surface was levelled for each gauge in turn. A miniature, PC
controlled, three-axis drilling machine was aligned with the centre
of the gauge and the datum depth detected using an iterative command in the drill control software which advanced the drill bit in
2 m increments, see Fig. 2 for typical experimental setup.
Between each advance, intervening orbit and withdrawal movements were carried out so that the target site could be inspected
for penetration through the gauge backing material and adhesive
layer. Relaxed strains were recorded at 16 drill depth increments:
4 16 m from 0 m to 64 m, 4 32 m from 64 m to
192 m and 8 64 m from 192 m to 704 m

A.R.C. Sharman et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 216 (2015) 123132

125

450
Force X

Lead in and engagement spike

400

Force Y

Steady state region

350

Force Z

300

Force (N)

250
200
150
100
50
0

-50

6
Time (seconds)

10

12

Fig. 1. Typical force graph produced from the Kistler Dynoware software.

The drill bits used were 0.6 mm diameter inverted cone tungsten
carbide cutters with a radial orbit eccentricity of 0.15 mm. The drill
bits were changed after each hole and no gauge or drill failures
were detected during the tests. Strain gauges were removed from
the sample surface to enable hole diameter measurement. Relaxed
strain data was reduced to residual stresses using a programme,
which utilises the integral method developed by Schajer (1988)
for the determination of non-uniform stresses from hole drilling
relaxed strain data. For the purposes of this work, uncertainty was
calculated based on the methodology given by Oettel (2000) for
strain gauge measurements.
2.2. Experimental procedure
Machining parameters xed throughout these trails were depth
of cut (0.25 mm), cutting speed (40 m/min) and cutting uid supply
(5 bar and 30 l/min), see Table 1 for details.
The tools used were coated tungsten carbide inserts with a
multilayer TiCN/Al2 O3 /TiN coating. The nose radii of the tools

Fig. 2. Experimental set up used for residual stress measurement.

Table 1
Fixed test parameters.
Cutting speed (m/min)
Depth of cut (mm)
Cutting uid
Cutting uid supply (bar)
Cutting uid ow rate (l/min)

40
0.25
5% solution of semi-synthetic emulsion
5
30

used was varied between 2 mm and 6 mm. The 2 mm, 3 mm and

4 mm radius tools were Corocut style inserts with a 7 clearance angle, an edge rounding of 35 m (see Table 2 for specic
details) and were held in a Sandvik Coromant Capto C5 modular tool holders during the machining trials (Code numbers
C5-LF123H25-35067B, C5-LF123J25-35067B and C5-LF123L2535070B for the 2 mm, 3 mm and 4 mm radius tools respectively).
Tool edge rounding was measured using a contour measurement
system.
The 6 mm radius tool was a round button style insert and had
a 7 clearance angle, an edge rounding of 35 m (ISO classication
RCMT 1204M0-SM). The round tool was held in a Sandvik Coromant
Capto C5 modular tool holder corresponding to PRGCL 2525M12
conguration.
Table 2 shows the variable test parameters used. The feed
rates were selected so that comparable chip thickness (hex ) could
be assessed for each tool radius. This would enable an independent assessment of the effect that both tool radius and feed
rate were having on the surface integrity. Chip thickness was
calculated using the formula given in Eq. (1), where ap is the
depth of cut, fn is the feed rate and iC is the tool nose radius
(Sandvik Coromant, 2012). Cutting speed was xed at 40 m/min
because previous work has shown that higher cutting speeds
(80 and 120 m/min) have a negative inuence on the residual
stress level and microstructural damage, especially when considering worn tools (Sharman et al., 2006). Sections were taken
from the workpiece at positions corresponding to around 30 s tool
life and from surfaces cut with a tool worn to 0.25 mm average ank wear by continued machining at the test conditions.
In this way the effects of both cutting parameters and the level
of tool wear could be examined. Tool wear was measured with
a toolmakers microscope tted with a digital camera and image

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A.R.C. Sharman et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 216 (2015) 123132

Table 2
Variable test parameters.
Tool radius (mm)
Insert code
Edge rounding (m)
Entry angle (degs)
Feed rate (mm/rev)
Chip thickness (mm)

2
N123H2-0400-R0
35
29
0.25
0.3
0.12
0.145

3
N123J2-0600-R0
35
24
0.36
0.145

0.36
0.17

4
N123L2-0800-R0
35
20
0.42
0.145

6
RCMT 1204M0
35
17
0.25
0.08

0.50
0.13

Fig. 3. Typical tool ank wear patterns encountered, 0.25 mm average ank wear.

analysis software, see Fig. 3 for typical examples of the wear

encountered.

hex = fn

4ap
2ap 2
(
)
iC
iC

(1)

3. Results and discussion

3.1. Unworn tools
The subsurface microstructural damage caused by machining
consisted of deformed grains in the direction of cutting (see Fig. 4
for example), cracked carbide particles and surface cavities, these
types of defect are commonly reported for the machining of Inconel
718 (see Sharman et al., 2004).
In all cases when cutting with a new tool the residual stress
prole was tensile at the surface with values ranging from 100
to 300 MPa depending upon the tools or parameters employed
(see Fig. 5). All the proles follow the same trend when measured in both the direction of feed and the direction of cutting but
in all cases, the feed direction results were slightly lower due to
anisotropic plastic deformation of the workpiece surface in the tool

path direction. As all the feed direction results were slightly lower
than those measured in the cutting direction they are not shown
here.
Fig. 5 shows that all the residual stress proles seen with new
tools were relatively similar in magnitude with the exception of
6 mm nose radius inserts at 0.5 mm/rev feed rate, in this case the
curve is shifted to a deeper depth. A partial explanation for the
shift to a deeper tensile and compressive stress layer seen with
6 mm nose radius can be seen when examining the depth of the
deformed subsurface microstructure. Fig. 6 shows that with 6 mm
nose radius inserts the deformation depth increases to over 20 m
compared to 12 m for all the other insert radii used. Residual
stresses are formed in machining due to non-uniform deformation
of the surface layer. The material directly ahead of the advancing
cutting tool experiences compressive plastic deformation whilst
the material behind it is in tension. Additional tensile deformation occurs due to rubbing from the ank face of the tool. If the
amount of tensile deformation produced is greater than the level
of compressive deformation then compressive residual stresses
will be produced and vice versa. The heat generated during chip
formation produces compressive plastic deformation of the surface due to localised thermal expansion, this results in tensile

Fig. 4. Grain deformation at 40 m/min, 0.36 mm/rev, 0.25 mm depth of cut with 2 mm nose radius inserts.

A.R.C. Sharman et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 216 (2015) 123132

127

Fig. 5. Residual stress proles seen with new tools, cutting direction (error bars show the uncertainty of measurement).

stresses upon cooling. The interaction of all these factors and the
thermo-mechanical properties of the workpiece material being
machined will determine the nal residual stress state. Therefore,
the increased level of plastic deformation of the surface layer seen
with 6 mm nose radius inserts would be expected to result in deeper
compressive residual stress, however, this does not explain why
6 mm nose radius at 0.25 mm/rev feed rate does not have a similar residual stress prole despite a similar depth of subsurface
deformation.
For new tools the tangential or cutting force was the highest
force measured, followed by the radial or thrust force, with the
axial or feed force being signicantly smaller. As can be seen in
Fig. 7, the cutting forces generated for all the new tools appear
to be of similar magnitudes, with the 2 mm radius tools producing slightly higher forces (approximately 400 N mean tangential

force at both 0.3 and 0.36 mm/rev feed rates). Arunachalam et al.
(2004), stated that round tools (6 mm radius) produced higher cutting forces than square tools (0.81.6 mm radius) whilst turning
Inconel 718. Although no explanation was given by Arunachalam
et al. (2004) of the mechanism involved, the reduction in volume of material removed for the smaller radius tool compared
to the larger radius tools at a xed feed rate could explain the
lower cutting force values observed. However, in this work at various feed rate and chip thicknesses, the cutting forces are of a
similar magnitude and no signicant inuence of chip thickness
was seen for new tools. It is clear that for the largest tool nose
radius used (6 mm nose radius) the ratio of cutting force to radial
force has changed and the radial force is now equal to the cutting force. This change will be discussed in more detail in the next
section.

Fig. 6. Depth of grain deformation measured for new tools (error bars show the range).

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A.R.C. Sharman et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 216 (2015) 123132

Fig. 7. Cutting forces for new tools (error bars show the range).

3.2. Worn tools

When cutting with worn tools the depth of grain deformation
increased, compare Figs. 6 and 8. The cutting forces also show a
signicant increase when a worn tool was used which was greater
than that caused by any change of nose radius or feed rate (compare
Figs. 7 and 9). Fig. 9 shows that the radial (or thrust force) is now
the largest force component with an average increase over the level
seen with a new tool of a factor of 3.76. The large increase in the
cutting forces is to be expected as the worn tool edge and ank
will lead to greater friction and heat generation as the tool ploughs
and rubs the workpiece material. The greater increase in the radial
forces can be attributed to the proportionally larger increase in the
ankworkpiece interaction area (caused by a reduction in the tools
clearance angle and increased rounding of the cutting tool edge)
which will produce a greater push-off force as the workpiece is
mechanically worked in the cutting zone. This is in agreement with
Wang et al. (2003) who found that the thrust force component is
more sensitive to tool ank wear as a result of additional rubbing
or ploughing force on the wear land.

Young (1996) showed that cutting temperature increases significantly in relation to the level of tool wear encountered. In this work
the higher temperatures described by Young (1996) combined with
higher cutting forces measured have resulted in a large increase in
the level of near surface tensile stress and the depth to which the
compressive stress penetrates beneath the workpiece surface. For
example the near surface tensile stress for the 2 mm nose radius
insert at 0.36 mm/rev feed rate increased from 334 to 1149 MPa
when a worn tool was used, compare Figs. 5 and 10. The same
response to increasing tool wear was shown in a previous paper
by the same authors using inserts of 0.8 mm nose radius (Sharman
et al., 2006).
Fig. 9 shows that in contrast to the results seen for new tools
(Fig. 7), an increase in feed rate produced an increase in cutting
force. For a constant tool radius, an increase in feed rate also produced a more tensile surface layer (400 MPa to 1000 MPa to
1200 MPa for the worn 2 mm nose radius tool, see Fig. 10). This
is in agreement with Schlauer and Peng, 2002 who found when
turning Inconel 718 at different feed rates (0.1 and 0.3 mm/rev)
that a higher feed rate resulted in increased tensile stress at the

Fig. 8. Depth of grain deformation measured for worn tools (error bars show the range).

A.R.C. Sharman et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 216 (2015) 123132

129

Fig. 9. Cutting forces for worn tools (error bars show the range).

surface. As can be seen in Fig. 10 the shape of the residual stress

proles are similar for each of the feed rates investigated (0.25, 0.3
and 0.36 mm/rev). The same trend is visible for new tools but the
relative difference between the different feed rates is reduced, see
Fig. 5.
When the effect of tool radius was studied in isolation for the 2
to 4 mm radius tools at a constant chip thickness of 0.145 mm (see
Fig. 11), it was found that the 2 and 3 mm radius tools produced
similar levels of tensile stress, however the 4 mm radius tool had a
signicantly increased near surface tensile stress level of 1550 MPa.
In the new condition the surface values were all tensile and of a
similar value, see Fig. 5. Although the level of 1550 MPa is above
the materials bulk ultimate tensile strength the near surface layer
is signicantly work hardened as shown in Sharman et al. (2006)
with a consequent elevation in tensile strength in this region.
When comparing all the worn tool results at different chip thickness and feed rates it can be seen that in general an increase
in tool nose radius produced higher surface tensile stress and a
deeper level of the compressive stress beneath the workpiece surface (compare Figs. 1012). The 6 mm radius tool at 0.25 mm/rev

feed rate exhibited a peak tensile value (700 MPa) at 50 m

below the surface (rather than at the immediate near surface position), which suggests that the immediate subsurface layer had been
heavily strained.
As stated previously, the mechanism behind the formation of
compressive residual stress is tensile extension of the near surface
layer caused by the advancing tool. As this layer is constrained by
the underlying bulk material it becomes plastically compressed.
The heat generated during chip formation produces compressive plastic deformation of the surface due to localised thermal
expansion; this results in tensile stresses upon cooling. The results
presented in this work suggest that the use of a larger tool nose
radius causes an increase in the level of heat developed in the workpiece as the depth of the tensile layer increases from 40 m with
2 and 3 mm nose radius tools to 60 m for 4 mm, 80 m and
100 m for 6 mm nose radius tools (at 0.25 and 0.5 mm/rev feed
rate). Plotting the depth of tensile residual stress at xed hex shows
that the same trend is visible for new tools to a lesser extent, see
Fig. 13. An increase in tool nose radius affects the uncut chip geometry and therefore the ratio of chip thickness to edge radius reduces.

1400
2 mm nose radius - 0.25 mm/rev

1200

2 mm nose radius - 0.3 mm/rev

2 mm nose radius - 0.36 mm/rev

Residual stress (MPa)

1000
800
600
400
200
0
-200
-400
-600
0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Depth (microns)
Fig. 10. Effect of increasing feed rate at xed nose radius on residual stress prole for worn tools, cutting direction (error bars show the uncertainty of measurement).

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A.R.C. Sharman et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 216 (2015) 123132

1800
2 mm nose radius - 0.3 mm/rev

1600

3 mm nose radius - 0.36 mm/rev

1400

4 mm nose radius - 0.42 mm/rev

Residual stress (MPa)

1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
-200
-400
-600
0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Depth (microns)
Fig. 11. Effect of increasing tool radius (24 mm) with xed hex on residual stress prole for worn tools, cutting direction (error bars show the uncertainty of measurement).

Due to the nose radius, the chip thickness is decreased gradually to

zero at the trailing edge, which is the region of the tool responsible
for generating the machined surface, see Figs. 14 and 15. Kishawy
and Elbestawi (1999) showed that chip thinning subjects the material in this region to high stress, which in combination with the
variation in chip velocity due to the thinning effect, causes the chip
at the trailing edge to tear. El-Wardany et al. (2000) found that an
increase in chip thickness allows more heat to be dissipated within
the chip bulk and Sharman et al. (2006) showed that an increase in
chip ow rate (at higher cutting speed) also increased the amount
of heat dissipated, these ndings suggest that heat would be concentrated at the thin trailing edge. Further support for this theory
was demonstrated experimentally by Chou and Song (2004) for

smaller tool nose radii than used in this work. Chou and Song
(2004) measured white layer depth alterations in AISI52100 steel
and mathematically modelled heat distribution in the workpiece
for an increase in tool nose radius from 0.8 to 2.4 mm, this showed
that the use of a larger nose radius resulted in a deeper thermally
affected region beneath the workpiece. Taken in combination, these
ndings suggest that for larger tool nose radii the variation in chip
speed and thickness around the radius would reduce the transfer
of heat away from the thin trailing edge leading to higher temperatures in this region and thereby induce the greater tensile stress
levels and depths seen.
Analysis of the cutting forces shows that for both new and worn
tools the ratio of cutting force to radial force (Fc /Fr ), decreases for

1800
3 mm nose radius - 0.36 mm/rev

1600

6 mm nose radius - 0.5 mm/rev

Residual stress (MPa)

1400

6 mm nose radius - 0.25 mm/rev

1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
-200
-400
-600
0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Depth (microns)
Fig. 12. Residual stress proles for 6 mm radius with 3 mm radius tools as comparison (worn tools), cutting direction (error bars show the uncertainty of measurement).

A.R.C. Sharman et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 216 (2015) 123132

131

Fig. 13. Depth of tensile residual stress with increasing tool nose radius.

Table 3
Cutting force ratio (Fc /Fr ).

1400

Feed rate (mm/rev)

hex (mm)

New

Worn

0.25
0.3
0.36

0.121
0.145
0.17

1.309
1.381
1.462

0.588
0.625
0.583

0.36

0.145

1.285

0.590

0.25
0.5

0.071
0.143

0.891
1.054

0.458
0.521

an increase in tool nose radius at xed chip thickness, see Table 3.

The force ratio determines the direction of the resultant force and
indicates that for an increase in tool nose radius the resultant force
acts in a more radial direction. Figs. 14 and 15 show schematically
the undeformed chip shape compared to the tool edge rounding

1200

Radial Cutting Force (N)

Nose radius (mm)

1000

800

600

400

200

0
0

50

100

150

200

250

Depth of Maximum Compressive Stress (microns)

Fig. 16. Radial cutting force against the depth of maximum compressive stress.

Fig. 14. Undeformed chip shape (shaded area) for 6 mm nose radius at 0.5 mm/rev
and 0.25 mm depth of cut, trailing edge region circled.

Fig. 15. Undeformed chip shape (shaded area) for 2 mm nose radius at 0.36 mm/rev
and 0.25 mm depth of cut, trailing edge region circled.

(35 m) for 6 mm nose radius and 2 mm nose radius tools, this

highlights just how much of the chip formation takes place on the
edge rounding when using a large tool nose radius. At the trailing edge position chip formation occurs completely on the edge
rounding where the cutting conditions are effectively negative rake.
The large negative rake angle and the large increase in radial cutting force explain the increases in compressive stress depth seen
with larger tool nose radii (see Fig. 12), even when machining with
an unworn edge (see Fig. 5). Fig. 16 shows the radial cutting force
plotted against the depth at which maximum compressive residual stress was reached, despite the scatter in the results a clear
trend is seen. As the tool wears the clearance angle is reduced
and the edge rounding is effectively increased, which acts to magnify the chip thinning issue and therefore with large nose radius
tools the majority of chip formation occurs on the edge rounding, this promotes the formation of a deeper residual compressive
stress.

132

A.R.C. Sharman et al. / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 216 (2015) 123132

4. Conclusions
The effect of using large nose radius tools at various feed
rate/chip thickness combinations has been investigated for Inconel
718 in respect to alterations in microstructure, residual stresses and
cutting forces. The main conclusions can be summarised as
Tool wear had the greatest inuence on the level of microstructural alteration and magnitude of residual stress. Increased
friction caused by the rubbing of the worn tool ank, combined
with the effective increase in edge rounding resulted in higher
cutting forces and potentially cutting temperature. This lead to
higher levels of near surface tensile residual stress and a deeper
depth of compressive residual stress.
For a xed tool nose radius, an increase in feed rate produced
greater levels of near surface tensile stress and increased the
depth of the tensile layer. This is due to the increase in cutting
forces and potentially heat generation in the cutting zone due to
the greater level of work being done to remove the larger chip
volume.
An increase in tool nose radius from 2 to 6 mm (with a new tool)
resulted in greater levels of plastic deformation. The high cutting
edge to chip thickness ratio found with larger radius tools effectively simulates a negative rake angle, increasing the ploughing
and squeezing within the cutting zone, which lead to increased
plastic deformation and an increase in the depth of the compressive stress region. This trend is magnied with a worn tool due
to the increase in effective edge rounding as the tool wears.
Due to the nose radius geometry, chip thickness is decreased
gradually to zero at the trailing edge. Chip thinning subjects the
material in the trailing edge region to high pressure and in combination with the variation in chip velocity due to the thinning
effect is expected to reduce the transfer of heat away from the
cutting edge leading to higher temperatures in this region. This
results in an increase in the thermal input into the near surface
layer as evidenced by the large increase in near surface tensile
stress levels (up to 1550 MPa) and depths (up 100 m) seen as
tool nose radius increased.
Although benecial in terms of productivity the use of large radius
tools in nish turning critical components is not recommended
due to the problems caused by the thin chip at the trails edge
position. These issues are exacerbated by tool wear due to the
increase in effective edge rounding.
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