Hot stamping of aluminium alloys allows for increased formability, decreased springback and the possibility of integrating age-hardening heat treatments into the process. However, it can be challenging due to the occurrence of material transfer of aluminium onto the tool, as aluminium is prone to adhesion even at low temperatures. Hence, lubrication is always necessary when forming aluminium, but lubricants can still fail, leading to direct interaction between tool and workpiece and thus material transfer. This phenomenon reduces the efficiency of the process, as interruptions are necessary for the refurbishment of the tools. Understanding of how material transfer takes place is important in order to find new or improved solutions, in terms of lubrication and surface engineering, to prevent adhesion. Nevertheless, current research in high temperature tribology of aluminium, mainly in terms of material transfer mechanisms, is very limited, as many of the works focus on lubricated conditions and do not look into the fundamental interactions between aluminium alloys and tool steels. In this context, the aim of this work is to investigate the mechanisms behind the occurrence of aluminium alloy transfer onto tool steel during sliding at high temperature and in dry conditions. A hot-strip drawing tribometer was used to perform tests at room temperature, 300°C, 400°C, and 500°C, directly after solubilizing the aluminium alloy at 520°C. Two different topographies for the tool steel were used: ground and polished. Material transfer characterization was performed mainly through scanning electron microscopy. It was found that grinding marks (ground tool steel) and carbides (polished tool steel) act as initiation sites for the transfer to occur. Temperature plays a role on the growth mechanisms of the transfer films during sliding, as thermal softening of the aluminium alloy is the dominant factor in determining the growth direction of the transfer layers. A growth towards the trailing edge (shearing and smearing of the transferred aluminium) or a growth towards the leading edge (build-up of transferred aluminium, leading to a thicker and more localized transfer material).

High strength aluminum alloys have for a long time been a popular material utilized in the automotive and aerospace sector due to coveted mechanical properties in terms of weight, strength, fatigue, and corrosion. However, tribological mechanisms such as tribo-film formation and material transfer during the metal cutting manufacturing process of aluminum impose significant reduction of machining and tool-life performance. Additionally, environmental aspects associated with metal cutting manufacturing has got more interest and pushed cutting tool development in new directions to meet increased customer demands. One possible way of achieving this, is the implementation and utilization of diamond based cutting tools which has been shown to perform well in machining of high strength aluminum. However, in depth knowledge regarding the tribological properties of diamond based cutting tools is currently lacking. Thus, the aim of this master thesis has been to investigate the refined tribological characteristics and properties of WC-Co cemented carbide cutting tools coated with synthetically grown CVD diamond. Tribological testing methods, such as frictional scratch/sliding, pin-turning, contact-zone temperature measuring, and longitudinal turning have been conducted to acquire extensive amount of research material in the form of test samples and data information. Furthermore, pin-turning tests were performed using a newly developed Tribojan pin-turning equipment and the performance of this was evaluated as a subgoal task. Specimen sample analysis have primarily been performed through LOM and SEM/EDS microscopy techniques. The results acquired from testing, microscopy analysis and data set evaluation have showed promising results in terms of frictional characteristic and material transfer properties regarding CVD diamond coated surfaces. The average CoF of CVD diamond sliding against an Alumec 89 aluminum alloy surface were somewhat lower as compared with similar sliding of a conventional uncoated WC-Co cemented carbide material. Furthermore, the frictional behavior and characteristic of CVD diamond appears to be more consistent and regular over longer sliding distances. The contact interaction between the CVD diamond coated surface and Alumec 89 appears to have a more abrasive nature due to the rough surface structure and material properties of the coating. The corresponding tribo-pair contact interaction with WC-Co cemented carbide shows more adhesive tendencies. Additionally, the contact-zone temperature development during pin-turning is shown to be somewhat lower during CVD diamond/Alumec 89 surface interactions. Regarding material transfer properties, CVD diamond are shown to perform well when interacting with high-strength aluminum. The amount of material adherence is significantly reduced on CVD diamond coated surfaces. During longitudinal turning using CVD diamond coated cutting tools, no significant wear was observed. On the other hand, evidence of both adhesive and abrasive wear was observed during turning using conventional uncoated WC-Co cemented carbide tools. Finally, tribological mechanisms acting during Tribojan pin-turning tests was shown to be relatively comparable with an actual machining operation, which indicate that the testing method perform well as compliment to standard frictional sliding and machining testing. / Höghållfasta aluminiumlegeringar har länge varit ett populärt material inom bil- och flygindustrin på grund av deras eftertraktade mekaniska egenskaper när det gäller vikt, styrka, utmattning och korrosion. Däremot medför tribologiska fenomen, så som tribofilmbildning och materialöverföring under metallskärande tillverkningsprocesser för aluminium, en betydande minskning av prestanda hos utrustning och skärverktygens livslängd. Dessutom har miljöaspekterna i samband med metallskärande tillverkning fått ökat intresse och därmed drivit utvecklingen av skärverktyg i nya riktningar för att uppfylla kundernas ökade krav. Ett möjligt sätt att uppnå detta är att införa och använda diamantbelagda skärverktyg, vilka har visat sig fungera bra vid bearbetning av höghållfast aluminium. Dock saknas det för närvarande djupgående kunskaper om de tribologiska egenskaperna hos dessa diamantbaserade skärverktyg. Syftet med detta examensarbete har därför varit att undersöka de förfinade tribologiska egenskaperna hos WC-Co skärverktyg av hårdmetall belagda med syntetiskt odlad CVD-diamant. Tribologiska testmetoder, så som friktionsskrapning/glidning, pinnsvarvning, temperaturmätning i kontaktzonen samt longitudinell svarvning, har genomförts för att samla in analysmaterial i form av prover och datainformation. Dessutom utfördes pinnsvarvningstesterna med hjälp av en nyutvecklad så kallad Tribojan-utrustning, vars prestanda har utvärderats som ett delmål i projektet. Analyser av provexemplar har huvudsakligen utförts med hjälp av mikroskopitekniker så som LOM och SEM/EDS. Resultaten från provning, mikroskopianalys och utvärdering av data har visat lovande resultat när det gäller friktions och materialöverföringsegenskaper för CVD-diamantbelagda ytor. Den genomsnittliga CoF för CVD-diamant som glider mot en yta av aluminiumlegeringen Alumec 89 var något lägre jämfört med motsvarande glidning av konventionellt WC-Co hårdmetallmaterial. Dessutom verkar friktionsbeteendet hos CVD-diamant vara mer konsekvent och regelbunden över längre glidsträckor. Kontaktinteraktionen mellan ytor av CVD-diamant och Alumec 89 verkar också ha en mer abrasiv karaktär på grund av diamantbeläggningens grova ytstruktur och materialegenskaper. Motsvarande kontaktinteraktion mellan Alumec 89 och obelagd WC-Co hårdmetall visar däremot mer adhesiva tendenser. Dessutom tenderar temperaturutvecklingen i kontaktzonen under pinnsvarvning vara något lägre vid ytinteraktioner mellan CVD-diamant och Alumec 89. När det gäller materialöverföringsegenskaperna visar sig CVD-diamant fungera bra vid interaktion med höghållfast aluminium. Materialets vidhäftning minskar betydligt på diamantbelagda ytor. Vid kontinuerlig longitudinell svarvning med diamantbelagda skärverktyg observerades inget betydande slitage. Å andra sidan hittades tecken på både adhesivt och abrasivt slitage under svarvning med konventionella obelagda WC-Co hårdmetallverktyg. Slutligen visade det sig att de tribologiska mekanismerna som verkade under Tribojan-pinnsvarvning vara relativt jämförbara med faktisk bearbetning, vilket tyder på att testmetoden fungerar bra som komplement till friktions och svarvtester.

Das Fügen mehrerer Komponenten während des Spritzgießprozesses wird bei vielen Spritzgießsonderverfahren angewandt. Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Verbundbildung zwischen einem kalten Einlegeteil und der einströmenden Kunststoffschmelze beim Spritzgießen, im Folgenden Stoffübertragung genannt. Ein Großteil der Untersuchungen findet an Zweikomponenten-Zugstäben statt, wobei erste und zweite Komponente aus dem gleichen Thermoplast gefertigt werden. Mögliche Einflussfaktoren auf die Verbundfestigkeit werden zunächst im Theorieteil vorgestellt und diskutiert. Eine Auswahl relevanter Prozess- und Materialparameter wird dann in praktischen Versuchen detailliert analysiert. Es wird nach korrelierenden Tendenzen sowohl zwischen unterschiedlichen Verfahren als auch zwischen verschiedenen Kunststoffen gesucht. Mittels statistischer Versuchsplanung werden die Spritzgießparameterkombinationen nach Größe des Einflusses auf die Verbundfestigkeit sortiert. Dies trägt zum Verständnis der bei der Stoffübertragung ablaufenden Grundmechanismen bei. Weiterhin werden die Einflüsse der Prozessparameter auf das neue Verfahren der In-Mold Oberflächenmodifizierung, bei dem ein funktionaler Modifikator während des Spritzgießprozesses übertragen wird, mit den Ergebnissen der Zweikomponenten-Verbundfestigkeit verglichen. Abschließend wird auf die Besonderheiten bei der selektiven Stoffübertragung eingegangen und das neue Verfahren des In-Mold Printing vorgestellt. / The joining of two components by the process of injection molding is state of the art, although adhesion phenomena are not fully understood yet. The formation of bonds between a cold material, which was inserted or applied onto the surface of the cavity before injection molding, and an injected polymer melt is studied in this work. Providing sufficient bond strength, the material is transferred from the surface of the mold to the injection molded part. Possibly influencing factors on the bond strength are first identified, theoretically discussed, later in experiments varied and finally analyzed. Thereby correlating tendencies between different polymers and different in-mold technologies are observed. The relevant material and processing parameters are put in order by their influence on the bond strength using design of experiments. This helps to understand the mechanisms of the formation of bonds. The majority of the experiments is concerned with two component injection molding by measuring the bond strength of two component tensile bars, produced under varying processing conditions. In each case, first and second components are made of the same thermoplastic polymer. The thermal energy of the melt can be used also to initiate chemical reactions. This permits bonding of a thin layer of a functional polymer, which is applied onto the surface of the mold before injecting the melt, to the surface of the molded part. In this way, process-integrated surface modification during injection molding becomes possible. In a further attempt, patterns of paint are printed onto the surface of the mold by pad printing. During injection molding the paint is transferred completely to the surface of the polymeric part. Using this new technology of In-Mold Printing, fully finished surface decorated parts can be produced by injection molding.

Das Fügen mehrerer Komponenten während des Spritzgießprozesses wird bei vielen Spritzgießsonderverfahren angewandt. Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Verbundbildung zwischen einem kalten Einlegeteil und der einströmenden Kunststoffschmelze beim Spritzgießen, im Folgenden Stoffübertragung genannt. Ein Großteil der Untersuchungen findet an Zweikomponenten-Zugstäben statt, wobei erste und zweite Komponente aus dem gleichen Thermoplast gefertigt werden. Mögliche Einflussfaktoren auf die Verbundfestigkeit werden zunächst im Theorieteil vorgestellt und diskutiert. Eine Auswahl relevanter Prozess- und Materialparameter wird dann in praktischen Versuchen detailliert analysiert. Es wird nach korrelierenden Tendenzen sowohl zwischen unterschiedlichen Verfahren als auch zwischen verschiedenen Kunststoffen gesucht. Mittels statistischer Versuchsplanung werden die Spritzgießparameterkombinationen nach Größe des Einflusses auf die Verbundfestigkeit sortiert. Dies trägt zum Verständnis der bei der Stoffübertragung ablaufenden Grundmechanismen bei. Weiterhin werden die Einflüsse der Prozessparameter auf das neue Verfahren der In-Mold Oberflächenmodifizierung, bei dem ein funktionaler Modifikator während des Spritzgießprozesses übertragen wird, mit den Ergebnissen der Zweikomponenten-Verbundfestigkeit verglichen. Abschließend wird auf die Besonderheiten bei der selektiven Stoffübertragung eingegangen und das neue Verfahren des In-Mold Printing vorgestellt. / The joining of two components by the process of injection molding is state of the art, although adhesion phenomena are not fully understood yet. The formation of bonds between a cold material, which was inserted or applied onto the surface of the cavity before injection molding, and an injected polymer melt is studied in this work. Providing sufficient bond strength, the material is transferred from the surface of the mold to the injection molded part. Possibly influencing factors on the bond strength are first identified, theoretically discussed, later in experiments varied and finally analyzed. Thereby correlating tendencies between different polymers and different in-mold technologies are observed. The relevant material and processing parameters are put in order by their influence on the bond strength using design of experiments. This helps to understand the mechanisms of the formation of bonds. The majority of the experiments is concerned with two component injection molding by measuring the bond strength of two component tensile bars, produced under varying processing conditions. In each case, first and second components are made of the same thermoplastic polymer. The thermal energy of the melt can be used also to initiate chemical reactions. This permits bonding of a thin layer of a functional polymer, which is applied onto the surface of the mold before injecting the melt, to the surface of the molded part. In this way, process-integrated surface modification during injection molding becomes possible. In a further attempt, patterns of paint are printed onto the surface of the mold by pad printing. During injection molding the paint is transferred completely to the surface of the polymeric part. Using this new technology of In-Mold Printing, fully finished surface decorated parts can be produced by injection molding.