The machining of Inconel X-750 steel, using copper sulphate electrolyte as a cutting fluid.

Goosney, Robert James (1975) The machining of Inconel X-750 steel, using copper sulphate electrolyte as a cutting fluid. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The cutting forces, tooth wear, surface finish, and cutting power were observed for 3/8" x 3" side and face milling cutters at two levels of cutting feed (2.1 and 7.7 in./min.) and depth of cut (.005" and .010") while cutting Inconel X-750. -- The investigation briefly traces the development of metal cutting science, pointing out some of the fallacies which have persisted to the present day. It proposes that metal to metal contact, and hence wear, be reduced by using a soft metal as a solid lubricant. Copper was eventually selected because of its electro-negative nature when compared to high speed steel. Copper is deposited continuously on the face and flank of milling cutter teeth by an electrolyte solution of copper sulphate and sulphuric acid. -- The experiment consisted of three phases, the first being of a preliminary nature to evaluate the feasibility of depositing copper by this process. Measurements of cutting power for various depths of cut, using a mild steel work piece, were compared to those obtained using a soluble oil, with favourable results for the copper sulphate electrolyte. -- Evaluation of the electrolyte cutting fluid to determine its optimum composition by measuring cutter wear, cutting forces, cutting power, and the surface finish of the work piece, follows. Observations of surface finish and cutting power produced no positive result. However, the other variables indicated a preference for a copper sulphate concentration of 11.1 grams per litre of solution and a sulphuric acid concentration of 5 millilitres of concentrated acid per litre of solution. -- The determination of the optimum composition of the copper based electrolyte was achieved using Inconel X-750 as the work piece material. This grade of Inconel was also used in the third and final phase of the experiment, which was to compare the electrolyte cutting fluid with a conventional sulphurized cutting oil. Results of this comparison indicate that the conventional cutting oil, Veedol AFTON #8 containing 1.8 to 2 per cent sulphur, produces less wear at a lower wear rate than the copper sulphate solution.

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