AY2020/2021 Review Questions

2162 Part I
Chapter 4 ECONOMIC AND PRODUCT DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
Review Questions

1. (A) Define machinability.

Answer. Machinability can be defined as the relative ease with which a material can be
machined using an appropriate cutting tool under appropriate cutting conditions.
2. Name some of the important mechanical and physical properties that affect the
machinability of a work material.
Answer. The properties mentioned in the text include hardness, strength, and ductility.
3. What is the effect of carbon content on the machinability of steel?
Answer. As carbon content in steel increases, its strength and hardness increases; this
increases tool wear and reduces tool life, which reduces machinability. However, if
carbon content is very low, ductility increases; this makes chip disposal more difficult.
Tolerances and Surface Finish
4. Name the machining operation that is sometimes used after a drilling operation to achieve
tighter tolerances on the hole diameter and improve surface finish?
Answer. Reaming.
5. (A) What are the three groups of factors that affect surface finish in machining?
Answer. The groups of factors that affect surface finish are (1) geometric factors such as
type of operation, feed, and tool shape (nose radius in particular); (2) work material factors
such as built-up edge effects, and tearing of the work surface when machining ductile
materials, which are affected by cutting speed; and (3) vibration and machine tool factors
such as setup and work part rigidity, and backlash in the feed mechanism.
6. Of the two parameters that have the greatest influence on the ideal surface roughness Ri
in a turning operation, which one has the greatest influence?
Answer. Feed f because it is a squared term in Equation (23.1).
7. How does a built-up edge affect surface finish in a turning operation?
Answer. The BUE forms and breaks away cyclically, depositing particles on the newly
formed surface and giving it a rough “sandpaper” texture.
8. Name some of the steps that can be taken to reduce or eliminate vibrations in machining.
Answer. Steps to reduce vibration in machining include (1) increase stiffness or damping
in the setup; (2) operate at speeds away from the natural frequency of the machine tool
system; (3) reduce forces in machining by changing feed or depth, and (4) change the cutter
design to reduce forces (e.g., reduce rake angle).
Machining Economics

Dr Woon Keng Soon (mpewks@nus.edu.sg)

AY2020/2021 Review Questions

9. Once depth of cut is specified for a given machining operation, what is the order in which
the two remaining cutting conditions (feed and cutting speed) should be selected?
Answer. The order is feed first, speed second.
10. (A) Identify the three terms that determine the cycle time Tc of a turning operation.
Answer. Tc = To + Th + Tt, where To = Tm the actual time the tool spends in machining, Th
= workpiece handling time, and Tt = tool handling time.
11. Identify the four terms that determine the cost per piece Cc in a turning operation.
Answer. Cc = CoTm + CoTh + CoTt/np + Ct/np, where Co = cost rate of machine tool and
operator, CoTm = cost of machining time, CoTh = cost of part handling time, CoTt/np = cost
of tool handling time, np = number of parts per cutting edge, Ct/np = cost of tooling itself.
12. As the parameter C in the Taylor tool life equation increases, what is the effect on the
optimum cutting speed (either vmax or vmin) in machining economics?
Answer. As C in the Taylor tool life equation increases, it has the effect of increasing the
optimum cutting speed.
13. As the parameter n in the Taylor tool life equation increases, what is the effect on the
optimum cutting speed (either vmax or vmin) in machining economics?
Answer. As n in the Taylor tool life equation increases, it has the effect of increasing the
optimum cutting speed.
14. As tool change time Tt increases, what is the effect on the optimum cutting speed (either
vmax or vmin) in machining economics?
Answer. As tool change time Tt increases, it has the effect of decreasing the optimum
cutting speed.
15. (A) As tool cost Ct increases, what is the effect on the optimum cutting speed (either vmax
or vmin) in machining economics?
Answer. As tool cost Ct increases, it has the effect of decreasing the optimum cutting
speed.

Dr Woon Keng Soon (mpewks@nus.edu.sg)