  Cutting tools are subject to extreme thermal and mechanical loads during
operation. The state of loading is intensified in dry cutting environment
especially when cutting the so called hard-to-cut-materials. Although, the
effect of mechanical loads on tool failure have been extensively studied,
detailed studies on the effect of thermal loads on the deterioration of the
cutting tool are rather scarce. In this paper we study failure of coated
carbide tools due to thermal loading. The study emphasizes the role assumed by
the thermo-physical properties of the tool material in enhancing or preventing
mass attrition of the cutting elements within the tool. It is shown that within
a comprehensive view of the nature of conduction in the tool zone, thermal
conduction is not solely affected by temperature. Rather it is a function of
the so called thermodynamic forces. These are the stress, the strain, strain
rate, rate of temperature rise, and the temperature gradient. Although that
within such consideration description of thermal conduction is non-linear, it
is beneficial to employ such a form because it facilitates a full mechanistic
understanding of thermal activation of tool wear.
