Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 February 2016
Titanium carbonitride (TiCN) is a popular hard coating for carbide cutting tools in various applications. This paper studied the influence of the carbon content and coating composition within TiCxN1−x coatings with regard to their adhesive strength on tungsten carbide substrate and subsequently, the performance of cutting tool in the dry turning of stainless steel. Among all the TiCxN1−x coatings, the TiCN coating has exhibited the highest adhesivity onto a substrate, followed by a TiC coating and lastly, a TiN coating. It was found that the adhesive strength of TiCN coating increased with the carbon content. The C/N ratio or C–N bond is a vital contributor to the adhesivity of the TiCxN1−x coating rather than the C or N atoms in the TiCxN1−x coating. It was found that the coating was delaminated before the exposure of substrate material. Hence, coating with higher adhesivity will promote longer tool life.