Dry Machining of Inconel 713LC: Surface Integrity and Force Response to Cutting Conditions

Abstract

While the machining of Inconel 718 has been widely studied, its cast counterpart Inconel 713LC remains underexplored, despite its relevance in high-temperature aerospace and energy components. This work presents a comprehensive investigation of dry milling behavior in Inconel 713LC, focusing on the interplay between tool wear, cutting forces, surface integrity, and chip formation across a broad range of cutting parameters. A stable process window was identified: 30–50 m/min cutting speed and 0.045–0.07 mm/tooth feed, where surface roughness remained below Ra 0.6 µm and tool life exceeded 10 min. Outside this window, rapid thermal and mechanical degradation occurred, leading to flank wear beyond the 550 µm limit and unstable chip morphology. The observed trends align with those in Inconel 718, allowing the cautious transfer of established strategies to cast alloys. By quantifying key process–performance relationships and validating predictive models for tool life and cutting forces, this study provides a foundation for optimizing the dry machining of cast superalloys. The results advance sustainable manufacturing practices by reducing reliance on cutting fluids while maintaining surface and dimensional integrity in demanding applications.