Abstract
During the past ten years extensive developments have been made in engineering workshop practice and carbide tools have been increasingly employed to expedite production. Under certain conditions these tools can be operated at speeds considerably in excess of those possible with the most modern high-speed steel tools. Sufficient experience is available to show that for the satisfactory working of carbide tools it is necessary to ensure uniform cutting speeds, rigidity of the work and machine, together with freedom from chatter or vibration. High speeds and fine feeds lend themselves to the establishment of these conditions. But the economic range of utility of these tools has been somewhat limited and ill-defined, and the Cutting Tools Research Committee was of the opinion that more complete information should be made available for members. A Carbide Tools Subcommittee was, therefore, appointed, the immediate object of which was to inquire into the present state of development in the manufacture and use of carbide tools. To this end information has been sought of manufacturers and many users of carbide tools and a summary made of the published literature on the subject. The information gleaned from these various sources has been embodied in the present report. The subject matter has been classified for convenience under the following heads: (1) the manufacture and physical properties of the cemented carbides; (2) preliminary tests of tips; (3) the shank and method of securing the tip; (4) grinding and preparation of the cutting edge; (5) tool angles; (6) tip and shank size and shape; (7) the disposition of the tool relative to the work; (8) the cutting fluid; (9) chip disposal; (10) cutting tests to determine the relations between speeds, feeds, and depths of cut; (11) some speeds, feeds, and cuts recommended by makers and users and cutting data; and (12) general information. The Subcommittee was not satisfied that the report reveals the latest practice with carbide tools and recommended that an independent experimental investigation be instituted. The Research Advisory Committee approved of the recommendation of the Carbide Tools Subcommittee and recommended that the report, in its present form, be presented at a General Meeting of the Institution in the hope that further information could be elicited in the discussion, and opinion obtained as to the desirability of embarking on an experimental inquiry and the possibility of obtaining means to prosecute the research.