Machining tribology poses a significant challenge due to the multiple parameters that must be simultaneously considered to arrive at a cost-minimized solution in production. This article provides information required to make informed decisions about machining parameters. It describes the relationships between machining parameters, workpiece material properties, cutting forces, and the corresponding temperature field in the chip. The article provides information on tool life, with an empirical model, common wear features, and the relationship between tool life and machining cost. The cutting fluids and their effect on tool life are also discussed. The article discusses machining process dynamics and corresponding vibrations. It contains a table that provides a summary of high-pressure coolant research.

The primary goal of quality control in electron beam (EB) welding is to consistently produce defect-free and structurally sound welds. This article discusses the common procedures for controlling the EB welding process, the control of the essential machine parameters, and the introduction of closed-loop controls and diagnostic feedback systems in the EB welding systems. It reviews the beam diagnostic tools that interrogate the beam to produce a reconstruction of the power density distribution and provide additional information on the size and shape of the EB. Knowledge of these beam parameters can be used to improve process understanding and control. The article also describes the application areas of beam diagnostics: machine characterization, weld parameter transfer, and weld quality control.

This article focuses on the basic metallurgy and machining parameters of classes of depleted and enriched uranium alloys. It provides information on the health precautions applicable to the machining of depleted uranium alloys. The article also discusses tool wear and the types of tools used in uranium alloy machining.

Diamond and cubic boron nitride (CBN) are the two hardest materials known. They have found numerous applications in industry, both as ultrahard abrasives and as cutting tools. This article reviews the high-pressure synthesis and fabrication techniques of these materials. It discusses their wear resistance, tool geometries, and machining parameters. The article also explains their application as cutting tools in the field of machining.

Fundamental to the machining process, is the metal-cutting operation, which involves extensive plastic deformation of the work piece ahead of the tool tip, high temperatures, and severe frictional conditions at the interfaces of the tool, chip, and work piece. This article explains that the basic mechanism of chip formation is shear deformation, which is controlled by work material properties such as yield strength, shear strength, friction behavior, hardness, and ductility. It describes various chip types, as well as the cutting parameters that influence chip formation. It also demonstrates how the service life of cutting tools is determined by a number of wear processes, including tool wear, machining parameters, and tool force and power requirements. It concludes by presenting a comprehensive collection of formulas for turning, milling, drilling, and broaching, and its average unit power requirement.

Cermets are a group of powder metallurgy products consisting of ceramic particles bonded with a metal. This article describes the composition and microstructure of titanium carbide and titanium carbonitride cermets. It tabulates typical properties of titanium carbonitride cermets and compares the properties of cermets and cemented carbides. The article also summarizes the applications of cermet cutting tools.

This article discusses the mechanics of chip formation and reviews the analytical modeling of the chip formation process by high-speed machining within the framework of continuum mechanics. It examines the relationship between the various high-speed machining parameters. The article describes the cutting tool systems for aluminum alloys, steel, superalloys, and titanium alloys and provides an overview of the alternative cutting tool geometries for increasing tool life. It highlights the factors considered by companies planning to employ high-speed machining systems and concludes with information on the applications of high-speed machining.