Distinguish between Crater Wear and

Flank Wear of a Single Point Cutting

Tool
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• ME Mechanical Team
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• Last updated: Mar 11, 2017

Crater Wear:
The wear taking place on the rake face of a single point cutting tool like crater is called crater
wear.
The crater wear is mainly caused due to
▪ The presence of friction between the chip-tool interface,
▪ The abrasion action of microchips present at the chip-tool
interface.
▪ The abrasive action of fragments of Built Up Edge (BUE) at the
chip-tool interface and diffusion wear.
▪ The diffusion wears, due to the atomic attraction between the tool
and work the atoms of the tool material will get diffused and
deposited over the workpiece called diffusion wear.
 Diagram of worn cutting tool, showing the principal locations where crater wear and flank wear
occur

Flank Wear:
The wear taking place on the flank face of a single point cutting tool is called flank wear.
The reasons for flank wear are:
▪ The presence of friction at the tool work interface.
▪ The abrasive action of microchips or powdered particles present at
the tool work interface and diffusion wear.
▪ The diffusion wears, due to the atomic attraction between the tool
and work the atoms of the tool material will get diffused and
deposited over the workpiece called as diffusion wear.