Machining of cast iron with advanced ceramic tools

Developments in cast irons have widened their applications even replacing steel for automotive parts. The higher hardness and certain degree of microstructural integrity of cast iron pose considerable problems in machining. Coated carbides with substrates suitable for machining cast iron and tougher grades of ceramics are the tools most suited for machining cast iron. Among the coated carbides, ZrO2 and TiN multi-layered coated K-type cemented carbides exhibit better machining performance. Tougher grades of hot pressed monolithic black ceramic (Al2O3 + TiC) composites can also be used for better machining performance. Chemical reactions encountered during machining limit the performance of Si3N4 and cold compacted plain Al2O3 tools while machining cast iron.