The Sustainable Machining Research Laboratory within the Institute for Sustainable Manufacturing (ISM) at the University of Kentucky has been actively involved in experimental investigation, modeling and optimization of machining operations focusing on fundamental understanding of process mechanics and applications.
A major sustainability issue in machining is the indiscriminate use of cutting fluids, which impose an economic and environmental burden, and are hazardous to operator health due to long-term exposure. Hence, considerable research effort is being directed towards advancing dry, near-dry and cryogenic machining processes as substitutes for the traditional flood-cooled machining. This research is also aimed at modeling the machining processes to achieve improved surface integrity, to enhance product performance and life.
Current major research focus areas are:
- Predictive modeling and optimization of dry, near-dry and cryogenic machining operations (turning, milling, drilling, etc.)
- Process modeling and analysis of machining performance (tool-wear/tool-life, chip-form/chip breakability, surface integrity, part accuracy and cutting forces/torque/power, etc.).
Director: Dr. I. S. Jawahir