Machining force studies on ductile machining of silicon nitride

Improvements in machining tolerances have enabled researchers to expose the ductile material removal of brittle materials. Under certain controlled conditions, it is possible to machine brittle materials by using single- or multi-point tools so that material is removed by plastic flow, leaving a crack free surface. Ductile machining of silicon nitride using poly crystalline diamond tools is presented in this paper. Effects of various parameters such as cutting speed, depth of cut and rake angle of the tool on machining force are studied.