Wear behavior of ultrafine WC-Co cemented carbide end mills during milling of Inconel 718

Two innovative ultrafine cemented carbide end mills, denoted C1 and C2, were synthesized through spark plasma sintering, featuring compositions of WC-8Co-0.4VC-0.4Cr3C2 and WC-40(Ti,W)–8Co-0.4VC-0.4Cr3C2, respectively. Their wear behaviors were delved into during the precision machining of Inconel 718, and distinct disparities in wear evolution and tool longevity were unveiled. C1 exhibits exceptional wear resistance, surpassing C2 by a striking margin of 7.4–9.5, depending on the cutting speed employed. The sharp cutting edge of C1, characterized by a single hard phase of WC, minimal grain size, and high hardness, demonstrates excellent wear resistance and deformation resistance, thereby minimizing the onset of notch wear. In contrast, C2 experiences severe adhesive and diffusive wear phenomena, which culminate in substantial flank wear and cutting edge chipping. The addition of 40 wt% of (Ti,W)C exacerbates adhesion, flaking, and notch wear during machining. The prolonged and intensified adhesive wear witnessed in C2 leads to the deterioration of the tool surface and the formation of deep wear craters on the flank face. A comparison evaluation involving the prepared novel tools and commercially available end mills reveals that C1 boasts a longer tool life that outstrip those of its commercial counterparts by approximately 1.7–3.5 times under identical cutting conditions.