Influence of phase structures on cutting surface quality and cutting tool degradation

Material cutting is a primary operation in most industries. Properly prepared semi-finished product is a prerequisite for easier production processes automation, such as machining on CNC machines, precision forging and others. The current production digitization and automation trend - Industry 4.0 directly requires the most accurate semi-finished products possible. The purpose of this article is to analyse the cutted materials microstructure and evaluate the effect of hardness and microstructure on the saw blade wear. The hardness of the samples will be measured by the Vickers method according to CSN EN ISO 6507. The microhardness measurement will be performed using a  Hannemann microhardness tester according to CSN EN ISO 6507-1. These methods make it possible to predict the saw blade life based on the material hardness and phase structures.