Tribology issues in machining

Machining is the process of shaping materials into useful articles by removing the unwanted material. In traditional machining processes such as in cutting and grinding, the unwanted material is removed by mechanical means using a cutting tool. Since the tool makes contact with the workpiece and either the tool, the workpiece, or both are in motion, tribology (i.e., the study of rubbing or sliding) becomes an important issue. Tribology has a crucial and significant role as an enabling technology, since tool wear is a major problem in the production of reliable and cost-effective products. This paper reviews recently published articles related to the wear of cutting tools and grinding wheels. These papers are classified into such areas as the wear process, measurement of wear, reduction of wear through the use of different cutting tools and abrasive materials, strategies used to monitor wear during machining and grinding, and in-process control of machining to compensate for tool wear.