Patent ID: 8701529

Claim:
A method of grooving a superalloy work-piece ( 24 ), the method comprising: grooving the work-piece ( 24 ) to form a groove using a cutting tool configured to hold a cutting insert having a front cutting edge ( 14 ) which defines a groove width and a side edge ( 19 ) formed on either side of the front cutting edge and extending rearwardly therefrom, with the front cutting edge and both side edges entering the groove during said grooving, the cutting insert ( 12 ) at least partially covered with a Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN) layer ( 13 ); and directing one or more coolant fluid streams towards an underside of work-piece chips ( 28 ) formed during grooving, the one or more coolant fluid streams being directed via one or more respective interior ducts ( 18 ) formed in the cutting insert ( 12 ), the interior ducts ( 18 ) opening out to a rake face ( 16 ) of the cutting insert ( 12 ) in respective one or more openings ( 26 ), and being directed upwardly and outwardly toward an interaction area ( 22 ) between the front cutting edge ( 14 ) of the cutting insert ( 12 ) and the work-piece ( 24 ); wherein: the rake face ( 16 ) of the cutting insert is devoid of chip forming structures; the one or more coolant fluid streams are directed at a pressure of no less than 200 bars so as to limit lengths of work-piece chips ( 28 ) formed in the interaction area ( 22 ); and the work-piece chips ( 28 ) break and detach from the work-piece ( 24 ) due to the one or more coolant fluid streams impacting the underside of the work-piece chips ( 28 ) as the latter are formed during grooving operations.