Investigation of an unexplained phenomenon – the seemingly mild contact against soft metals that wears out hard tools

Cemented carbides, developed for wear resistance, today hold a strong position in tools for rock drilling and cutting hard materials.

Their success in such demanding applications makes them a natural selection also for machining much softer metals, in the belief that those cannot possibly affect ceramic materials. Yet, for several important industrial tools, such unexpected wear has led to surprisingly short lives.

The difference in hardness clearly excludes abrasive or adhesive wear but suggests elusive mechanisms, possibly operating in the atomic scale, wearing down the material almost without traces.This is a tribological phenomenon that the scientific community cannot explain and for which the industry lacks means for developing longer-lasting tools.

The project strives to unveil the mechanisms and processes. Well-controlled experiments will reveal the influence of materials, contact parameters and temperature.

The combined experience in tribology, materials science and thermodynamic analysis (mainly using the ThermoCalc software) makes the project group well suited for the task.

The Ångström laboratory houses the analytical techniques necessary for detection of minute deformation and compositional changes. The expertise at KTH provides the ideal setting to reveal the mechanism at chemical level.

The aim is to arrive at a model for the elusive events leading to wear, providing the research area the lacking knowledge and ultimately industry means for modifying their tools.