Evaluation of Quenching and Tempering on Cutting Force and Surface Finishing of Steel Machining

Abstract

In this paper, quenching and tempering effects on the machining conditions of medium carbon steel were investigated. The samples were quenched in a saltwater and polymer solution after heated to austenitizing temperature at 870°C, then, the tempering process of the samples were conducted to reduce internal stresses and hardness. In the tempering process the samples were heated again to 400°C with a soaking time was one hour, so cooled in still air. So the samples were machined by lathe machine with selected cutting conditions. The results appeared the effect of heat treatments on hardness, surface finishing, cutting force and microstructure that were evaluated before and after heat treatment with various cutting conditions.