ABSTRACT
The modem history of metal cutting began in 1945 when Merchant published his vision of metal cutting phenomena.1 As recorded in an excellent survey presented by the CIRP (International Institution for Production Engineering Research) working group on chip controI,2 numerous attempts to improve the theory proposed by Merchant failed to improve its predictive ability. Moreover, the original objectives of metal cutting research became somewhat obscure.3 Instead of the original objective of establishing a predictive theory, the center of gravity has been shifted to developing theories of a descriptive nature which only explain post-process phenomena and thus have no prediction ability. As a result, no significant progress has been made, and, after many years of study, theory is still lagging behind practice. Shaw,· in a book summarizing his lifetime of experience in the field, came to the discouraging conclusion that it is next to impossible to predict metal cutting performance.
