This research project is directed towards the development of an important new criterion for establishing the machinability of a work material as well as to provide an important new method of predicting the shear angle for a given set of cutting conditions. This investigation involves tests on a wide range of materials and conditions and includes a simple noncutting test that gives the rate of increase of shear stress with shear strain for large strains. The results will be used to better understand the relation between workpiece chemistry and structure and the slope of the shear stress-shear strain curve for large strains. The results will also be used to verify a new shear angle criterion. An important secondary objective of this work is to provide a better understanding of basic mechanisms involved in large strain deformation.
