A novel technique for identifying unknown workpiece material through machining/turning

Dry machining is becoming increasingly popular due to concern regarding the safety of the environment. This research-cum-review article presents a novel technique for identifying unknown grades of aluminum alloy and brass workpieces (since the supplier did not provide the alloy details) by dry turning experimentation and logic; this paper also comparatively analyzes the resulting cutting forces and power. Dry turning experiments have been conducted on aluminum alloy and brass workpieces at a feed of 0.04 mm/rev and a cutting speed of 42 m/min. Turning was performed at depths of cut (DOC) of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mm with an HSS cutting tool by use of a center lathe. The determination of the cutting forces involved the use of a dynamometer linked with a computer facilitated with the LABVIEW software package. The resulting DAQ output has been analyzed to calculate cutting forces and power at various DOC. The resulting machining data are compared with literature for a range of aluminum alloys and brasses. Logic philosophy has been applied to identify the workpiece alloys grades based on specific cutting energies.