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.