Stepped Joint Cutting Insert for Heat-Resistant Brazing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Cutting inserts for high hardness material machining face issues with braze material softening due to high temperatures during machining, leading to potential separation or fracture of the sintered body from the base body, and the sintered body is expensive due to its large size.

Innovation Solution

A cutting insert design featuring a sintered body with a step-like joint surface configuration, where the leading side is lower than the trailing side, minimizing thermal softening of the braze material and increasing the joint area for enhanced strength, while allowing for size reduction of the sintered body.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If the sintered body is joined to the base body with a braze material on two surfaces, then the sintered body is securely attached, but the braze material softens due to heat conducted from the cutting edge during high load machining

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvejoint strengthVSAvoidtemperature of braze material
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The joint surface is designed with a step-like shape that utilizes the depth dimension to position the leading side of the joint surface away from the cutting edge. This spatial arrangement in three dimensions allows the braze material to be located at a position where heat conduction from the cutting edge is reduced, thereby preventing softening while maintaining secure attachment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Strength

If the sintered body is made larger to increase joint area, then the brazing strength is enhanced, but the cost of the cutting insert increases due to the expensive sintered body material

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebrazing strengthVSAvoidamount of sintered body material
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The step-like joint surface design concentrates the joint area increase at specific locations where it is most effective for strength enhancement, rather than uniformly increasing the sintered body size throughout. This allows the joint area to be maximized in critical regions while keeping the overall sintered body volume minimal, thereby maintaining brazing strength without proportionally increasing material quantity and cost.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Temperature

If the joint surface is positioned closer to the cutting edge for better heat dissipation, then thermal softening is reduced, but the joint area decreases leading to weaker brazing strength

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvethermal softening resistanceVSAvoidjoint strength
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The step-like joint surface configuration utilizes the depth dimension to achieve both thermal management and strength enhancement simultaneously. The leading side of the joint surface is positioned at an optimized depth that balances heat exposure reduction with joint area maximization, allowing the braze material to be sufficiently distant from the cutting edge for thermal protection while maintaining adequate joint area for strength.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The step-like joint surface design effectively reduces thermal softening of the braze material, enhances brazing strength, and minimizes the size and cost of the sintered body, thereby improving the durability and cost-effectiveness of the cutting insert.

Implementation Method 1

the leading side of the joint surface (joint material closer to the front surface of the sintered body), where the temperature becomes relatively high during the cutting by the cutting edge, is located away from the cutting edge. This minimizes the thermal softening of the joint material on the joint surface.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentEP4098385A1Cutting insert
Publication Date: 2022.12.07 TUNGALOY CORP
  • EP4098385A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4098385A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4098385A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A cutting insert (10) that suppresses softening of joint material in a joint surface between a sintered body and a base body to improve the joint strength, and that enables size reduction of the sintered body, is provided. The cutting insert includes a sintered body (20) having a cutting edge, and a base body having a leading end where the sintered body is joined via a braze material. The sintered body includes a front surface on a leading side, an upper surface connected to the front surface and forming the cutting edge with the front surface along a connecting edge with the front surface, a bottom surface opposite the upper surface, a back surface opposite the front surface, and two side surfaces. The sintered body and base body are joined together in a joint surface (70) including the bottom surface and back surface of the sintered body. The joint surface in side view has a step-like shape with a leading side thereof being lower than a trailing side thereof.