Numerous studies are available regarding the effect of PVD and CVD coatings on cutting tools (inserts), cutting parameter optimization, and the application of the minimum quantity lubrication on the reduction of cutting tool wear and the improvement in surface quality of the machined parts. However, there still exists the deficiency of the comprehensive analysis of improving machining performance by suppressing high frequency vibration (micro-vibration) at the cutting edge due to the random nature of cutting force. The present study aims to mitigate this challenge of suppressing micro-vibration by applying the high dynamic stiffness multilayered Cu: CuCN<inf>x</inf> nanocomposite coating at the close proximity of cutting edge (in between the cutting insert and shim) by synthesizing the Cu:CuCN<inf>x</inf> coating on conventional cemented carbide (WC-Co) square shims. The primary objective of this study was to experimentally investigate the effect of Cu:CuCN<inf>x</inf> coating's morphology on machining performance. Coating morphology was characterized by the total coating thickness and total number of alternative Cu and CuCN<inf>x</inf> layers in a certain coating thickness. Machining performance was evaluated based on the criteria of cutting tool life and machined part's surface quality. External longitudinal turning operations of SS2541-03 alloy steel (34CrNiMoS6) material with rough cutting parameters and wet condition (using cutting fluid) were adopted for evaluating machining performance. Three different Cu:CuCN<inf>x</inf> coating series- A, B and C were synthesized by means of a double cathode Reactive High-Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (R-HiPIMS) deposition system. Coatings of series-A were deposited on steel disc substrates, and were used to evaluate the Cu:CuCN<inf>x</inf> nanocomposite coating's mechanical properties as a function of total number of Cu and CuCN<inf>x</inf> layers in a fixed coating thickness. Mechanical properties of the coatings were investigated by Vickers micro-indentation, and the damping loss factor of the coating was evaluated on the basis of indentation creep measurements under room temperature. Results from the analysis with coating series A demonstrated that the maximum elastic modulus, loss factor and loss modulus values of the coating was obtained when the ratio of total number Cu and CuCN<inf>x</inf> layers to coating thickness (n/h) is 0.6. However, the hardness, H/E and H³/E² values were observed to be increasing with increasing number of total layers. The coating with optimum mechanical properties exhibited the highest loss modulus of 2.85 ± 0.03 GPa confirming the high dynamic stiffness of Cu:CuCN<inf>x</inf> nanocomposite. Coated shims prepared with coating series- B and C were used to evaluate the effect of total number of Cu and CuCN<inf>x</inf> layers and the effect of total coating thickness on the machining performance, respectively. From the turning tests with conventional shim and coated shims it was evident that the coated shim with 200 μm Cu:CuCN<inf>x</inf> coating (sample C3) increased the cutting tool life by at least 50 % and reduced the machined workpiece's surface roughness by 15 %. For all turning tests, the thicknesses of coated shims and corresponding conventional uncoated shim were kept constant. The maximum error between the experimental and predicted values of the mechanical properties of coating series-B was found to be less than 10 %Moreover, in case of 200 μm Cu:CuCN<inf>x</inf> coating containing 150 layers of Cu and CuCN<inf>x</inf> phases, the coated shim (sample B3) was able to increase the cutting tool life by at least 167 %, and the machined workpiece's average surface roughness was reduced by 10 %. Analysis of the acquired vibration signals during turning tests, indicated that the cutting tool life was prominently affected by the higher frequency vibration (>7000 Hz) at the tool's cutting-edges. It was observed that with the application of 200 μm Cu:CuCN<inf>x</inf> coating in coated shim, the root mean squared (RMS) vibration energy in overall frequency range (0 to 30,000 Hz) was reduced by 40 %. From material and mechanical characterization, it was postulated that the primary vibration energy dissipation mechanisms of the multilayered nanocomposite coating are the interface frictional energy loss between the alternative Cu and CuCN<inf>x</inf> layers and the intrinsic damping due to grain boundary sliding in CuCN<inf>x</inf> layers.

Reducing plastic interactions between abrasive grains and the material being processed improves grinding efficiency and lowers energy consumption. Widening the cutting zone with abrasive grains enhances chip formation and reduces lateral material displacement. This can be achieved by using abrasive microaggregates. The paper presents an experimental analysis of grinding with modified wheels containing abrasive microaggregates. It examines how these microaggregates impact the grinding wheel's surface microgeometry and material removal efficiency. The study measured changes in the number, surface area, volume, and spacing of active contact areas on the grinding wheel active surface. A comparative analysis using the Shos indicator showed that abrasive microaggregates promote the formation of active areas with wide cutting edges perpendicular to the cutting direction. Finite element method simulations confirmed that abrasive microaggregates enhance material removal by widening the micro-cutting zone and increasing lateral resistance, which reduces the formation of flashes along the cutting path. The study also assessed how these surface features impact the roughness of the ground surface. A comparative analysis of roughness parameters showed a statistically significant reduction in surface, volume, hybrid, and functional parameters when using grinding wheels with abrasive microaggregates. This analysis was conducted using bootstrap statistical hypothesis tests.

In metal cutting and blanking processes, one of the primary technological challenges is the formation of burrs on the surfaces of cut parts, especially in thin materials. Many companies face the issue of excessive waste due to burr formation after cutting. Understanding the causes of this defect is complex. This paper presents the current state of knowledge and the authors' research on reducing burr occurrence on cut surfaces. The conditions for achieving a high-quality cut edge were determined through numerical and experimental studies. With the increase of the rake angle in shear-slitting, the burr height decreases. When cutting with trimming, the cutting clearance value should be within hc= 1-3% of the material thickness. When blanking, the cutting clearance should be less than 10% of the thickness of the material being cut. The findings support selecting optimal process conditions to minimise waste after cutting.

The fine blanking process is often used in plastic working to produce both simple details and those with complex shapes. This process consists in separating the material with the use of a tool that causes pressure on the shaped material, creating an appropriate state of deformation in the cross-section of the sheet and the cutting zone. The main challenge in the production lines is to obtain high-quality products with the optimal shape of the cut edge. Electrical steels are usually supplied as very thin sheets ready to be cut and blanked for use in the construction of stators and rotors for the cores of electric motors or as laminates for shielding and winding transformers. The presence of high silicon content in electrical steels together with their low thickness makes them susceptible to the formation of serious cut edge defects, such as: concentration of excessive deformations and stresses in the vicinity of the cut edge, excessive burrs, edge cracks. This condition results in a reduction of the magnetic efficiency in the final products.  A new approach to the design of the fine blanking process was proposed by optimizing the geometry of the punch, allowing for the reduction of contact pressures in the cutting zone and cut edge defects of electrical steel. By using the optimal blanking clearance, it is also possible to reduce the deformation zone concentrated near the cut edge. The proposed approach allows for extending the work cycles of the punches. FEM combined with the updated Lagrange description was used to describe the phenomena at a typical incremental step. The states of strain and strain rate are described by non-linear relationships without linearization. The description of the nonlinearity of the material was made with an incremental model taking into account the influence of the history of strain and the strain rate. The condition of the material after the previous treatments was also taken into account by introducing the initial states: displacements, stresses, strains and their velocities. An optimization process was carried out to determine the process conditions that would ensure the highest quality of the cut edge and the greatest durability of the cutting tools. The research results may be useful for the design of modern blanking tools used in the processing of electrical materials.

The transport sector is growing and so is the awareness of the environmental impact from fossil fuels. This calls for changes in how road transport is powered, driven by both rules and regulations and from customer and societal expectations. There are several technical solutions to reduce and finally replace the use of fossil fuels currently discussed both in academia and industry and those solutions are at different maturity levels. The aim of this research is to investigate how the introduction of new technologies effects the evolvement of the components in the powertrain. This knowledge will be valuable for the truck industry OEMs to support the transition of the production system to match future needs. This is done in two parts. First, a semi-structured interview with experts from the automotive industry was conducted, then a literature study. The research shows that several powertrain technologies will exist, optimized for different markets and applications. On a component level, effort will be made to reduce the losses in the powertrain and the strive for efficiency will lead to higher requirements on geometrical quality, tighter tolerances, and surface requirements.

Friction control is a vital technology for reaching sustainable development goals, and surface texturing is one of the most effective and efficient techniques for friction reduction. This study investigated the performance of a micro-dimpled texture under varying texture densities and experimental conditions. Reciprocating sliding tests were performed to evaluate the effects of the micro-dimpled texture on friction reduction under different normal loads and lubrication conditions. The results suggested that a micro-dimpled texture could reduce the coefficient of friction (CoF) under dry and lubricated conditions, and high dimple density results in a lower CoF. The dominant mechanism of the micro-dimpled texture's effect on friction reduction was discussed, and surface observation and simulation suggested that a micro-dimpled texture could reduce the contact area at the friction interface, thereby reducing CoF.

Electron beam melting (EBM) is a powder bed fusion (PBF) additive manufacturing (AM) process for metal powder printing with wide applications in key industrial sectors, including automotive, healthcare, aerospace, etc. The high-temperature processing of this technique extensively sinters the powders on the surfaces and creates a poor and coarse surface finish. Differences between the surfaces from EBM in comparison with other AM processes make it difficult to answer which measurement method, with what measurement settings, and which evaluation parameters should be used for surface characterization. In this work, the performance of various optical methods for the measurement of areal topography of rough EBM-made metal surfaces was investigated. A specially prepared artefact allowing for the generation of different angles was designed and produced from a nickel-based alloy using EBM without any supporting structure for down-facing surfaces. The as-built up-facing and down-facing surfaces from the artefacts were measured in orthogonal to the build direction. Measurement system capability for as-EBM surfaces is presented along with areal surface texture analysis.

High-power impulse magnetron-sputtering thick metal/carbon-nitride-doped metal-matrix multilayer nano-composite coating can be applied to cutting-tool holder components to improve cutting insert's life. One of the challenges of such an add-on solution is the poor adhesion between the thick coating and the hard alloy substrate, such as WC-Co shim. This work presents a study on WC-Co substrate surface preparation methods for HiPIMS coating and its adhesion improvement. Three mechanical surface pretreatment methods were investigated: machining (grinding), diamond polishing, and grit blasting. White-light interferometry was used for substrate surface texture measurement before and after pretreatment. It was demonstrated that, compared to machining and diamond polishing, grit blasting can significantly improve the interface adhesion between the similar to 200 mu m-thick Cu:CuCNx coating and WC-Co shim. Grit blasting was also found to be beneficial for improving the cutting insert's life in the external turning process. In turning tests, the coating lifetime for grit-blasted shim was more than 90 min, whereas the coating lifetimes for machined shim (conventional shim) and diamond-polished shim were similar to 85 min and similar to 70 min, respectively. Further, by comparing the HiPIMS gradient chromium pre-layer between the coating and substrate for the different shims, the study also explained that the quasi-isotropic surface texture of grit-blasted shim is more advantageous for coating-substrate interface adhesion.

The KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm, Sweden) as a project leader allowed strengthening collaboration between academic and industrial experts in the field of non-destructive testing (NDT), machining and metrology. This scientific consortium had found an efficient way for scientific collaboration, in which we conducted many experiments, meetings, and talks on the project’s research subject. This book is a result of all the mentioned activities and more. Many experts from both sides actively participated in the creation of this guide and are listed in the list of contributors.

The authors hope that after reading this guide, BN measurements can be carried out more systematically, with higher accuracy, traceability and lower uncertainty. The authors do not aim to replace a whole raft of good textbooks, operator’s manuals, specifications, and standards (if they exist); rather, they want to present an overview of good practices and techniques. These recommendations are also a result of many discussions conducted by the project team members during the project’s duration.

The book is divided into two parts. The first part of the book, “Measurement Good Practice Guide”, presents a comprehensive overview of the Barkhausen noise (BN) measurement method used to describe and analyze different features of ferromagnetic materials, such as residual stress level, hardening depth, among others. The primary focus is on mechanical parts for the automotive industry, in particular, the camshaft and crankshaft. The good practice guide is intended for those who need to make BN measurements but are not necessarily trained to use this method or are still not comfortable about measurement itself. By reading this guide, one can gain basic knowledge regarding good practices for making magnetic measurements with the BN method. Based on a few principles and tips from good practices, the reader will be able to create a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for their purpose. SOPs for BN are presented in the appendices.

The second part of the book “Qualification and Certification of Personnel” presents requirements of the personal certification for Barkhausen testing and is aligned with applicable standards. The authors recommend performing internal and external certification of personnel to do achieve more conscious and reliable measurements.

This book has been prepared by the scientific consortium under the research project FFI OFP4p – Non-Destructive Characterization Concepts for Production, 2015–2018 co-founded in 50% by VINNOVA, Sweden’s innovation agency. Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent rights.

Hardness measurement is a vital step for quality assurance in manufacturing of a wide range of products. Today, the standard hardness measurement tests, such as Vickers, are based on microscope image-based evaluation methods. Since these methods are limited to the geometry of the indentation in 2D images, their precision are highly dependent on the samples’ surface finish. A novel method based on 3D surface topography of the indentation is introduced for more robust Vickers hardness measurement. The 3D evaluation method with information in Z direction offers a high level of precision in hardness measurement on surfaces with different surface qualities.