AN ADVANCED AL2O3-BASED CERAMIC WITH RELATIVELY HIGH TOUGHNESS AND WEAR RESISTANCE HAS BEEN DEVELOPED AS A CUTTING TOOL MATERIAL FOR HIGH-SPEED MACHINING OF FERROUS ALLOYS. A DUAL-TOUGHENING MECHANISM HAS YIELDED A SIGINIFANTLY HIGHER RELIABILITY THAN CONVENTIONAL CERAMICS. TOOL LIFE IMPROVEMENTS OF AS MUCH AS 10 TIMES HAVE BEEN DEMONSTRATED IN SEVERAL LABORATORY AND FIELD TESTS USING A VARIETY OF FERROUS WORKPIECES.
