This chapter familiarizes readers with the machining characteristics of titanium and the implementation of machining and shaping processes. It explains why titanium alloys are more difficult to machine than other metals and how it impacts the equipment and procedures that can be used. It describes the basic machining requirements for titanium in terms of tool geometry and materials, machine setup rigidity, cutting speeds and feed rates, and surface conditions, and explains how the requirements are met in practice in milling, turning, drilling, surface grinding, and broaching operations. The chapter also covers chemical and electrochemical machining processes as well as flame cutting.

Metal removal processes for gear manufacture can be grouped into two general categories: rough machining (or gear cutting) and finishing (or high-precision machining). This chapter discusses the processes involved in machining for bevel and other gears. The chapter describes the type of gear as the major variable and discusses the machining methods best suited to specific conditions. Next, the chapter provides information on gear cutter material and nominal speeds and feeds for gear hobbing. Further, it describes the cutting fluids recommended for gear cutting and presents a comparison of steels for gear cutting. The operating principles of computer numerical control and hobbing machines are also covered. This is followed by sections that discuss the processes involved in grinding, honing, and lapping of gears. Finally, the chapter provides information on the superfinishing of gears.

Beryllium’s machining characteristics are similar to those of heat-treated cast aluminum and chilled cast iron. Like the other materials, it can be turned, milled, drilled, bored, sawed, cut, threaded, tapped, and trepanned with good results. This chapter explains how these machining operations are conducted and describes the effect of tooling materials, cutting speeds, metal-removal rates, and other variables. It also explains how to assess and remove surface damage caused by machining such as microcracks and twins.

This appendix provides an extensive amount of data corresponding to titanium machining processes, including sawing, turning, drilling, reaming, tapping, broaching, face milling, end milling, slotting, surface grinding, and thermal cutting.

This chapter discusses the factors that influence the cost and complexity of machining titanium alloys. It explains how titanium compares to other metals in terms of cutting force and power requirements and how these forces, along with cutting speeds and the use of cutting fluids, affect tool life, surface finish, and part tolerances. The chapter also includes a brief review of nontraditional machining methods.

The qualities that make superalloys excellent engineering materials also make them difficult to machine. This chapter discusses the challenges involved in machining superalloys and the factors that determine machinability. It addresses material removal rates, cutting tool materials, tool life, and practical issues such as set up time, tool changes, and production scheduling. It describes several machining processes, including turning, boring, planing, trepanning, shaping, broaching, drilling, tapping, thread milling, and grinding. It also provides information on toolholders, fixturing, cutting and grinding fluids, and tooling modifications.

This chapter covers the practical aspects of machining, particularly for turning, milling, drilling, and grinding operations. It begins with a discussion on machinability and its impact on quality and cost. It then describes the dimensional and surface finish tolerances that can be achieved through conventional machining methods, the mechanics of chip formation, the factors that affect tool wear, the selection and use of cutting fluids, and the determination of machining parameters based on force and power requirements. It also includes information on nontraditional machining processes such as electrical discharge, abrasive jet, and hydrodynamic machining, laser and electron beam machining, ultrasonic impact grinding, and electrical discharge wire cutting.

High-speed tool steels have in common the ability to maintain high hardness at elevated temperatures. High speed steels are primarily used for cutting tools that generate heat during high-speed machining. They are designated as group M or group T steels in the AISI classification system, depending on whether the major alloying approach is based on molybdenum or tungsten. This chapter describes the effects of each of the alloying elements and carbon content on the processing, microstructures, and properties of high-speed steels. It discusses the processes involved in the solidification, hot work, annealing, austenitizing for hardening, and tempering of high-speed steels. It also discusses the processes involved in controlling grain size during austenitizing and reviews the characteristics of cooling transformations and other property changes in tempered high-speed steels. Information on multipoint cutting tools is provided. The chapter discusses the applications of high-speed tool steel and factors in selecting high-speed tool steels.

This chapter focuses on the causes of gear failure under five major headings. These include basic material, focusing on steel, engineering, focusing on the integration of design, manufacturing, heat treatment, and service application.

This appendix is a glossary of terms and definitions associated with sheet metal forming.

This chapter discusses equipment used for ferritic nitrocarburizing, including salt bath furnaces, atmosphere furnaces, and plasma furnaces. It also describes the processes involved in ferritic oxynitrocarburizing.

Through-hardening heat treatment is generally used for gears that do not require high surface hardness. In through hardening, gears are first heated to a required temperature and then cooled either in the furnace or quenched in air, gas, or liquid. Four heat treatment methods are primarily used for through-hardened gears: annealing, normalizing and annealing, normalizing and tempering, and quenching and tempering. This chapter begins with a discussion of these through-hardening processes. This is followed by sections providing some factors affecting the design and hardness levels of through-hardened gears. Next, the chapter reviews the considerations related to distortion of through-hardened gears. It then discusses the applications of through-hardened gears. Finally, the chapter presents a case history of the design and manufacture of a through-hardened gear rack.

The through-hardening process is generally used for gears that do not require high surface hardness. Four different methods of heat treatment are primarily used for through-hardened gears. In ascending order of achievable hardness, these methods are annealing, normalizing and annealing, normalizing and tempering, and quenching and tempering. This chapter discusses the processes involved in the through-hardening of gears. It provides information on designing procedures, hardness, distortion, and applications of the through-hardened gears. The chapter presents a case history on the design and manufacture of a through-hardened gear rack.