Interest in ceramics as a high speed cutting tool material is based primarily on favorable material properties. As a class of materials, ceramics possess high melting points, excellent hardness and good wear resistance. Unlike most metals, hardness levels in ceramics generally remain high at elevated temperatures which means that cutting tip integrity is relatively unaffected at high cutting speeds. Ceramics are also chemically inert against most workmetals.

This book focus on the challenges faced by cutting materials with superior mechanical and chemical characteristics, such as hardened steels, titanium alloys, super alloys, ceramics and metal matrix composites. Aspects such as costs and appropriate machining strategy are mentioned. The authors present the characteristics of the materials difficult to cut and comment on appropriate cutting tools for their machining. This book also serves as a reference tool for manufacturers working in industry.

Hard machining is a relatively recent technology that can be defined as a machining operation, using tools with geometrically defined cutting edges, of a work piece that has hardness values typically in the 45-70HRc range. This operation always presents the challenge of selecting a cutting tool insert that facilitates high-precision machining of the component, but it presents several advantages when compared with the traditional methodology based in finish grinding operations after heat treatment of work pieces. Machining of Hard Materials aims to provide the reader with the fundamentals and recent advances in the field of hard machining of materials. All the chapters are written by international experts in this important field of research. They cover topics such as: • advanced cutting tools for the machining of hard materials; • the mechanics of cutting and chip formation; • surface integrity; • modelling and simulation; and • computational methods and optimization. Machining of Hard Materials can serve as a useful reference for academics, manufacturing and materials researchers, manufacturing and mechanical engineers, and professionals in machining and related industries. It can also be used as a text for advanced undergraduate or postgraduate students studying mechanical engineering, manufacturing, or materials.

Several ceramic parts have already proven their suitability for serial application in automobile engines in very impressive ways, especially in Japan, the USA and in Germany. However, there is still a lack of economical quality assurance concepts. Recently, a new generation of ceramic components, for the use in energy, transportation and environment systems, has been developed. The efforts are more and more system oriented in this field. The only possibility to manage this complex issue in the future will be interdisciplinary cooperation. Chemists, physicists, material scientists, process engineers, mechanical engineers and engine manufacturers will have to cooperate in a more intensive way than ever before. The R&D activities are still concentrating on gas turbines and reciprocating engines, but also on brakes, bearings, fuel cells, batteries, filters, membranes, sensors and actuators as well as on shaping and cutting tools for low expense machining of ceramic components. This book summarizes the scientific papers of the 7th International Symposium "Ceramic Materials and Components for Engines". Some of the most fascinating new applications of ceramic meterials in energy, transportation and environment systems are presented. The proceedings shall lead to new ideas for interdisciplinary activities in the future.

It is a well acknowledged fact that virtually all of our modern-day components and assemblies rely to some extent on machining operations in their manufacturing process. Thus, there is clearly a substantive machining requirement which will continue to be of prime importance for the foreseeable future. Cutting Tool Technology provides a comprehensive guide to the latest developments in the use of cutting tool technology. The book covers new machining and tooling topics such as high-speed and hard-part machining, near-dry and dry-machining strategies, multi-functional tooling, ‘diamond-like’ and ‘atomically-modified’ coatings, plus many others. Also covered are subjects important from a research perspective, such as micro-machining and artificial intelligence coupled to neural network tool condition monitoring. A practical handbook complete with troubleshooting tables for common problems, Cutting Tool Technology is an invaluable reference for researchers, manufacturers and users of cutting tools.

Presenting modern advances in the machining of ceramics and composites, this work offers broadly based, fundamental information for selecting the appropriate machining processes and parameters, developing successful manufacturing strategies, and designing novel machining systems. It focuses on scientific and engineering developments affecting the present and future of machining processes.