Advances in Machining of Difficult-to-Cut Engineering Materials

The machining of advanced engineering materials continues to be a growing concern. These high performance materials, which include titanium- and nickel-based alloys, tool steels, stainless steels, hardened steels, composites, shape memory alloys, cobalt chromium alloys, and magnesium-based alloys, are employed for their unique metallurgical properties, sustaining high operating temperature, and resistance to corrosion and fatigue etc. They are extensively used in demanding applications within aerospace, biomedical, automotive, petrochemical, marine, nuclear, and sports-related sectors. Despite their advantageous properties, these materials pose significant challenges in material removal processing, displaying poor machinability and high processing costs. 

This Special Issue aims to publish original research and review articles on the machinability investigations of difficult-to-cut engineering materials, particularly those used in aerospace, biomedical, automotive, and nuclear sectors.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

Machinability investigations based on cutting process physics
Surface integrity of machined surfaces
Cutting process modeling and optimization, including finite element (FE)-assisted models
Mechanics, applications, and challenges of micromachining
Advanced cooling/lubrication strategies such as minimum-quantity lubrication (MQL) and cryogenic cooling
Tribology of the cutting process
Sustainability analysis of machining processes
Non-traditional machining processes: laser, EDM, ECM, USM, water jet cutting
Precision machining, micro/nanomachining
Assisted machining processes such as vibration-assisted machining (VAM) and ultrasonic-assisted machining (UAM)
Application of artificial intelligence (AI) in machining
Performance of novel cutting tool materials and geometries