Reliability Prediction of a Microwave Sintered Si3N4-based Composite Ceramic Tool

Abstract The wear life reliability prediction model of microwave sintered Si3N4/(W,Ti)C/Y2O3/MgO/Al2O3 composite ceramic tools based on the random distribution characteristics of hardness and fracture toughness of ceramic tool material was established. It showed that the Vickers hardness of ceramic tool materials followed a normal distribution and the fracture toughness followed a lognormal distribution. Distribution law of wear life can be determined by the joint distribution of hardness and fracture toughness. Experimental research on tool reliability of continuous dry cutting quenched high quality carbon steel T10A was carried out and the applicability of the tool reliability prediction model was verified. The results showed that the error between the theoretical reliable life and the actual life of the ceramic tool was less than 5% under the same reliability when the reliability was above 0.5.