Development of surface textured designs on PCD tools and their performance evaluation in precision hard turning of bearing rings under cryogenic cooling

In the manufacturing of bearing rings, diamond cutting tools are generally used in precision hard turning to achieve high dimensional accuracy, tight tolerances, and high surface quality. However, in the hard-turning of bearing rings (AISI52100), high heat generation enables the “iron-carbon mutual dissolution,” leading to an intense chemical reaction that significantly impacts the diamond tool under high temperatures, leading to severe tool wear and poor surface finish. Cryogenics cooling and tool design parameters have been reported as effective in achieving low cutting temperatures and extended tool life. This research study is dedicated to fabricating micro-textures using the laser surface texturing (LST) technique on the rake face of PCD tools and evaluating their performance in precision hard turning of bearing rings under the effect of cryogenic CO2. The preliminary research evaluates the effect of laser parameters (power, scanning speed, frequency) on the dimension and surface morphology of three different types of micro-textures (parallel, perpendicular, and angular from the main cutting edge) on the rake face of PCD cutting inserts. Furthermore, the performance of these textured PCD tools was evaluated in precision hard turning under the effect of low-temperature CO2 in terms of surface roughness, residual stresses induced in bearing rings, and tool wear. The comparative results confirmed the effectiveness of micro-textured tools by improving surface quality, compressive surface residual stresses, and less tool wear than non-textured PCD tools, providing practical implications for the precision machining industry. More specifically, the parallel micro-textures have shown a 38.75–52% reduction in tool wear and 23–25% improved surface roughness compared to non-textured tools and all other types of texture designs for all cutting lengths.