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A theoretical analysis for the mechanism of ductile chip formation in the cutting of brittle materials is presented in this paper. The coexisting crack propagation and dislocation in the chip formation zone in the cutting of ductile materials are examined based on an analysis of the geometry and forces in the cutting region, both on Taylor’s dislocation hardening theory and the strain gradient plasticity theory. It was found that the ductile chip formation was a result of large compressive stress and shear stress in the chip formation zone, which shields the growth of pre-existing flaws by suppressing the stress intensity factor K I . Additionally, ductile chip formation in the cutting of brittle materials can result from the enhancement of material yield strength in the chip formation zone. The large compressive stress can be generated in the chip formation zone with two conditions. The first condition is associated with a small, undeformed chip thickness, while the second is related to the undeformed chip thickness being smaller than the radius of the tool cutting edge. The analysis also shows that the thrust force F t is much larger than the cutting force F c . This indicates that large compressive stress is generated in the chip formation zone. This also confirms that the ductile chip formation is a result of large compressive stress in the chip formation zone, which shields the growth of pre-existing flaws in the material by suppressing the stress intensity factor K I . The enhancement of material yield strength can be provided by dislocation hardening and strain gradient at the mesoscale, such that the workpiece material can undertake the large cutting stresses in the chip formation zone without fracture. Experiments for ductile cutting of tungsten carbide are conducted. The results show that ductile chip formation can be achieved as the undeformed chip thickness is small enough, as well as the undeformed chip thickness is smaller than the tool cutting edge radius. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses an analytical assessment of the effect of cutting tool flank wear on machining stability along the thrust direction in a turning operation based on an analysis of frequency band root-mean-square (RMS) level of the accelerometer signals. The energy content of machining at the tool-tip/workpiece interface along the flank is represented by the RMS signal level, in comparison to the random vibration of the cantilever portion of the tool holder. The RMS signals measured from a tool-post accelerometer in stable machining with tool wear effect are calculated using the frequency band RMS method at the first natural frequency of the cantilever portion of the tool holder. Increasing flank wear results in increasing stability and decreasing RMS in the thrust direction in machining. For model validation, a series of machining experiments were performed under the condition of various flank wear/land widths, while the RMS signals from a tool-post accelerometer were collected and studied. It was found that theoretical predictions were shown to be in agreement with experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]