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. 2024 Oct 16;17(20):5051.
doi: 10.3390/ma17205051.

Enhanced Durability of Wood Cutting Tools through Thermal Cycling

Hamza Sofiane Meddas  1 , Muftah Zorgani  1 , Majid Heidari  2 , Mousa Javidani  3 , Tom Levasseur  2 , Mohammad Jahazi  1
Affiliations

Enhanced Durability of Wood Cutting Tools through Thermal Cycling

Hamza Sofiane Meddas et al. Materials (Basel). .

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of multi-step austenitization heat treatment on the in-service life of modified AISI A8 cold work tool steel knives used in wood cutting. The knives were subjected to two treatment methods: single quenching and double tempering (SQDT) and double quenching and double tempering (DQDT). Both treatments were followed by physical vapor deposition (PVD) coating to enhance surface properties. The DQDT treatment resulted in a finer microstructure and more uniform carbide distribution. Field tests on 24 knives over 124 h demonstrated up to 130% improvement in wear resistance for DQDT knives, along with superior edge stability and better PVD coating preservation. DQDT knives exhibited ductile fractures characterized by dimples, contrasting with the brittle fracture and cleavage facets in SQDT knives. Residual stress measurements showed higher compressive stresses in DQDT knives (-280 MPa) compared to SQDT knives (-30 MPa), which increased further after field testing. The enhanced performance of DQDT knives is attributed to their refined microstructure, improved carbide distribution, and higher compressive residual stresses, offering significant potential for improving wood cutting tool efficiency and durability.

Keywords: PAGS refinement; PVD coating; cold-work tool steel; double quenching; edge stability.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors Majid Heidari and Tom Levsasseur were employed by the DK SPEC Company. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) Thermal cycle of SQDT; (b) thermal cycle of DQDT; and (c) phase diagram thermodynamic simulation of the modified A8 steel.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Illustration of the chipper–canter head with respective knife placements; (b) side view of knife geometry; (c) schematic of wood cutting process showing the four chipper–canter heads used in the field tests.
Figure 3
Figure 3
SEM micrographs of the substrate in the tempered state, showing the PAGs and secondary carbides for: (a,c) SQDT; (b,d) DQDT.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Histogram of the PAGS and carbide size distributions (a,c) SQDT; (b,d) DQDT.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Digital Keyence scans of the most damaged knives in each chipper-canter head for both conditions (SQDT and DQDT).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Volume loss in mm3 after 124 h of wood cutting in both canter heads.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Top-view deferential interference contrast LEXT micrographs of the worn rake surface of the canting knives showing the coating removal: (a) SQDT, (b) DQDT.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Stitched LEXT micrography of the SQDT knife edge with corresponding enlargement zones.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Stitched LEXT micrography of the DQDT knife edge with corresponding enlargement zones.
Figure 10
Figure 10
SEM images of the fractured chipped areas for both conditions: (a) SQDT, (b) DQDT.
Figure 11
Figure 11
SEM micrography illustrating the crack path near the edge in the SQDT sample: (a) a crack propagating from the substrate to the PVD coating; (b) PVD decohesion due to crack propagation.
Figure 12
Figure 12
(a) SEM micrograph showing crack propagation from the substrate toward the PVD coating; (b) enlargement of the crack path along with EDS analysis of Cr; (c) enlargement of the interface substrate/coating and secondary crack nucleation.
Figure 13
Figure 13
Box plot of the residual stress measurement after HT and prior to the field test for SQDT and DQDT samples.
Figure 14
Figure 14
Thermal map showing the dispersion of the residual stresses near the edge after wood machining: (a) SQDT knife and (b) DQDT knife. The triangle with a white line boundary represents the projection of the measured surface.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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