Acoustic emission analysis of wear in hacksaw blades

The performance and reliability of cutting tools depend on a number of vari ables such as cutting conditions, tool material, tool geometry, and the pro perties of the workpiece material. Acoustic emission analysis is a method t hat may be used to examine the in process progressive wear of cutting tools . This paper presents results of a study of wear processes associated with hand hacksaw blades using acoustic emission analysis. A direct relationship between the mean acoustic signal and the rate of wear has been established for hand hacksaw blades used for metal cutting. This is supplemented by re sults obtained from SEM and EDAX, which reveal wear in the cutting teeth. A coustic emission analysis is an attractive technique that can be used to mo nitor wear processes online and non-obstructively: making it extremely usef ul for performance and life prediction of hand hacksaw blades. The method m ay also be applied to other single and multipoint cutting tools.