Friction Studies of Coated and Uncoated Cemented Carbide in Controlled Environment

In this investigation, a controlled-environment tribological test device has been used to study the friction coefficients of several grades of commercially-available coated and uncoated cemented carbide cutting tools in a dry air environment at different environmental chamber pressures. Tests were run in the block-on-ring configuration. The results suggest that the friction coefficient is sensitive to the level of air present, with a noticeable rise in friction coefficient with decreasing pressure or increasing vacuum level. The uncoated cemented carbide sufaces resulted in the highest friction values, whereas the coated grades yielded somewhat lower values even after the coating was removed. The results suggest the importance of friction control in the design of coatings for metal removal processes.