Work hardening is when a metal gets harder and tougher as it's deformed — a real problem in machining stainless steels, Inconel and other superalloys, where a rubbing or dwelling tool hardens the surface and then can't cut it, causing rapid tool wear and a glazed skin. The fix is to keep the tool cutting: firm feeds, sharp tools, positive rake and no dwelling.
It's why stainless and nickel alloys demand consistent chip load and good coolant rather than light, timid cuts. See stainless steel and Inconel, and machining stainless steel for strategy.
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