Metal flow 'boosts' manufacturing
28 Jul 2015
Researchers at Purdue University, US have discovered a new type of metal deformation and a way to suppress it.
Using high-speed microphotography and analysis to study what happens while cutting ductile metals, the researchers discovered that metal can deform into folds while being cut, and also that sinuous flow - the deformation method that describes the way certain types of metal fold when cut - can be controlled by suppressing this specific folding behaviour.
The fact that the metal can be cut easily with less pressure on the tool has significant implications
Professor W. Dale Compton
What’s more, the researchers also found the cutting force can be reduced by 50% simply by painting the metal with a standard marking ink.
Industrial engineering professor Srinivasan Chandrasekar said that via the addition of a painted layer to the metal, faster and more efficient machining can be achieved, while also improving surface quality.
“The fact that the metal can be cut easily with less pressure on the tool has significant implications,” said W. Dale Compton, Professor Emeritus of Industrial Engineering.
“Machining efficiency is typically limited by force, so it is possible to machine at a much faster rate with the same power,” Compton said.
According to Chandrasekar, understanding sinuous flow and its suppression and control could lead to new opportunities in a range of manufacturing applications that involve metal deformation such as in machining, stamping, forging and sheet-metal processes.
He also said it could be used to develop new materials for energy absorption - by deliberately enhancing sinuous flow - for applications in armour, vehicles and structures, for instance.
A full account of the research has been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
