Advances of Hard Material Processing Technologies for Surface and Interface Improvement

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Laser Coatings".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 November 2025 | Viewed by 10227

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Interests: ultrasonic machining including cutting mechanisms, machining methods, machining tools, measurment and control, surface modification, effective cooling and lubrication for metals, ceramcis, composites, soft tissues, bones, etc.
1. School of Mechanical and Power Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
2. Henan Key Engineering Laboratory for Anti-fatigue Manufacturing Technology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Interests: high-speed machining of metals and alloys (Ni-based alloys, titanium alloys, 18CrNiMo7-6 steel); ultrasonic vibration cutting; surface integrity; material characterization (SEM, TEM, EBSD, XRD); anti-fatigue manufacturing technology (shot peening, surface rolling, laser shot peening); functional performance (fatigue performance, wear behaviour, corrosion resistance)
State Key Laboratory of High Performance Complex Manufacturing, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
Interests: gear anti-fatigue design and manufacturing; surface strengthening and modification techniques; manufacturing science; advanced manufacturing technologies; machining mechaism analysis; mechanical characterization engineering; finite element medelling; molecular dynamic modelling; advanced materials
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We would like to invite you to submit your work to this Special Issue, “Advances of Hard Material Processing Technologies for Surface and Interface Improvement”. The aim of this Special Issue is to present the latest experimental and theoretical achievements in the field, through a combination of original research papers and review articles from leading research groups around the world.

As is well-known, hard materials are widely used in aviation and aerospace fields, especially for the load-carrying structures. The finishing surface quality is of great significance for the service performance of the parts. Therefore, advanced processing technologies, including machining and surface treatment, etc., are required to realize a fine finishing surface. The innovative methods, lubrication and cooling methods for interfaces improvement, and tool design for well machining will all be welcomed to contribute to this Special Issue.

The scope of this Special Issue will serve as a forum for papers on, but not limited to, the following concepts:

  • Advanced processing (machining, surface treatment, etc.) technologies for hard materials, such as stainless steels, Ti-based alloys, super alloys, ceramics, composites and other new materials.
  • Theoretical/experimental analysis of the benefits obtained from the above advanced technologies.
  • Characterization of surface/interface properties, e.g., surface topography, residual stress, surface abnormality, lubrication, cooling, etc.
  • Advanced tool design, such as micro texture, coatings, etc.
  • Advanced lubrication and cooling methods in material processing interfaces, e.g., high-pressure coolant, MQL, Cryogenic methods, etc.

Dr. Xiangyu Zhang
Dr. Zhenlong Peng
Dr. Wen Shao
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • hard material
  • surface integrity
  • surface treatment
  • tool wear
  • cooling

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 9327 KiB  
Article
Temperature Analysis in Cubic Boron Nitrate Cutting Tool during Minimum Quantity Lubrication Turning with a Coconut-Oil-Based Nano-Cutting Fluid Using Computational Fluid Dynamics
by Subhash Khetre, Arunkumar Bongale, Satish Kumar and B. T. Ramesh
Coatings 2024, 14(3), 340; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14030340 - 13 Mar 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1759
Abstract
The minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) approach is used for improving tool life at a low cost, and it is environmentally friendly. When compared to traditional flood cooling technology, the flow rate in MQL is thought to be 10,000 times lower. The workpiece’s surface [...] Read more.
The minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) approach is used for improving tool life at a low cost, and it is environmentally friendly. When compared to traditional flood cooling technology, the flow rate in MQL is thought to be 10,000 times lower. The workpiece’s surface smoothness is enhanced by continuous chip formation during turning, but because the tool is always in touch with the chip, a crater wear zone is formed on the rake face due to high friction and thermal stress. While adding nanoparticles to MQL enhances cutting performance, a high concentration of these nanoparticles causes burr adhesion and decreased chip evacuation capability due to the agglomeration of nanoparticles, which affects the surface finish of the workpiece. A novel “coconut-oil-based SiC–MWCNT nano-cutting fluid for a CBN insert cutting tool” is proposed in this approach to overcome these issues. Silicon carbide (SiC) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are added to coconut oil with an appropriate volume fraction for better lubrication. The thermal properties of the proposed nano-cutting fluid are compared with those of some existing nano MQL cutting fluids, and it was found that the MQL cutting fluid under consideration exhibits an elevated thermal conductivity and convective heat transfer coefficient that efficiently reduce tool temperature and improve tool life. The comparative study between the Finite Element Simulation using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) predicted variation in tool temperature and the corresponding experimental values revealed a remarkable alignment with a marginal error ranging from 1.27% to 3.44%. Full article
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16 pages, 8406 KiB  
Article
Dry Hard Turning versus Grinding—The Influence of Machining-Induced Surface Integrity on Fatigue Performance
by Yinxia Zhang, Shaoshuai Yuan, Xin Yang, Wei Gao, Mingliang Zhang and Zhenlong Peng
Coatings 2023, 13(5), 809; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13050809 - 22 Apr 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2299
Abstract
Dry hard turning (DHT) provides an effective process for finishing high-hardness materials. Machining-induced surface integrity has a direct impact on functional performance. This study compares the effects of the DHT and grinding processes on machining-induced surface integrity and fatigue performance of 18CrNiMo7-6 steel. [...] Read more.
Dry hard turning (DHT) provides an effective process for finishing high-hardness materials. Machining-induced surface integrity has a direct impact on functional performance. This study compares the effects of the DHT and grinding processes on machining-induced surface integrity and fatigue performance of 18CrNiMo7-6 steel. The DHT and grinding experiment were carried out by using a polycrystalline cubic boron nitride tool and corundum wheel, respectively. The 3D surface morphology, surface roughness, surface residual stress, and machining accuracy of the hourglass-shaped specimen were measured. The fatigue fracture was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The experimental results show that compared to grinding, DHT has obtained a larger surface compressive residual stress (the maximum axial and tangent residual stresses are −762.6 MPa and −442.8 MPa, respectively) and a lower surface roughness (the minimum Ra and Rq are 0.172 μm and 0.230 μm, respectively). This study is an attempt to use DHT instead of a grinding process to finish 18CrNiMo7-6 steel, providing a reference for high-quality and sustainable manufacturing of hardened steel. Full article
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22 pages, 7297 KiB  
Article
A Tool Life Prediction Model Based on Taylor’s Equation for High-Speed Ultrasonic Vibration Cutting Ti and Ni Alloys
by Xiangyu Zhang, Zhenlong Peng, Liangbao Liu and Xi Zhang
Coatings 2022, 12(10), 1553; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12101553 - 14 Oct 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2787
Abstract
A high-speed ultrasonic vibration cutting (HUVC) method has been proposed for the precision machining of Ti and Ni alloys with high efficiency and fine surface quality in recent years. During the HUVC, the tool life can be enhanced significantly at a relatively high [...] Read more.
A high-speed ultrasonic vibration cutting (HUVC) method has been proposed for the precision machining of Ti and Ni alloys with high efficiency and fine surface quality in recent years. During the HUVC, the tool life can be enhanced significantly at a relatively high cutting speed. The effective cooling due to the tool-workpiece separation resulting from the ultrasonic vibration is regarded as the primary reason for these advantages. In order to figure out the influences of effective cooling and ultrasonic vibration for further understanding of the mechanism of HUVC and guidance of practical engineering, a quantitative relationship between the tool life and cutting conditions (including cutting, ultrasonic and cooling parameters) needs to be built. Therefore, in this paper, a tool life prediction model based on Taylor’s equation was established. Both the cooling contribution during the separation interval and tool impact resulting from the ultrasonic vibration were added to be considered. Then, experiments were conducted and the results showed that the separation effect with effective cooling was the main reason for the considerable benefits of HUVC. Although the impact was inevitable, high-speed, stable cutting regions of Ti and Ni alloys could still increase to 200–450 and 80–300 m/min, respectively. The prediction model could be used to optimize the cutting parameters and monitor the machining process according to the actual machining requirements. Full article
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Review

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15 pages, 5886 KiB  
Review
Recent Development of Abrasive Machining Processes Enhanced with Non-Newtonian Fluids
by Linghong Zhu, Xiaofeng He, Xiaoming Wu, Jixuan Wu and Tao Hong
Coatings 2024, 14(7), 779; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings14070779 - 21 Jun 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2404
Abstract
Abrasive machining processes have long been integral to various manufacturing industries, enabling precise material removal and surface finishing. In recent years, the integration of non-Newtonian fluids has emerged as a promising strategy to enhance the performance and efficiency of these processes. This review [...] Read more.
Abrasive machining processes have long been integral to various manufacturing industries, enabling precise material removal and surface finishing. In recent years, the integration of non-Newtonian fluids has emerged as a promising strategy to enhance the performance and efficiency of these processes. This review paper provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of research on abrasive machining processes, including abrasive lapping, abrasive polishing, and chemical mechanical polishing, and then analyzes in detail the abrasive machining processes enhanced with non-Newtonian fluids. It explores the fundamental principles underlying the rheological behavior of non-Newtonian fluids and their application in abrasive machining, with a focus on shear-thickening fluids. The paper will begin by introducing the abrasive machining processes, including abrasive lapping, abrasive polishing, and chemical mechanical polishing. Then, the current research status of non-Newtonian fluids will be comprehensively analyzed, and we will explore the enhancement of abrasive machining processes with non-Newtonian fluids. Finally, the paper will conclude with a discussion of the future directions and challenges in the field of abrasive machining enhanced with non-Newtonian fluids. Overall, this review aims to provide valuable insights into the potential benefits, limitations, and opportunities associated with the use of non-Newtonian fluids in abrasive machining, paving the way for further research and innovation in this promising area of manufacturing technology. Full article
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