Diamond turning of intermetallic, single-crystalline NiAl

In the paper, diamond cutting properties of NiAl are reported. Specific cutting force, force ratio, and specific cutting energy are found as a function of cutting speed, depth of cut, feed rate, as well as crystal orientation. Surface inspects have disclosed a semi-brittle character of this alloy. Smooth mirror-like surfaces have only been achieved by using sharp diamond tools with a nose radius a s small as 50 microns. Employing tools with a negative rake angle of -45° can im prove the surface roughness and quality significantly, in particular at the depth of cut of 2 microns. Adversely, a straight edge tool with a rake angle of 0 degree can incur intensively cracked surfaces.