The purpose of this study was to investigate the causes of changes in acous
tic emission (AE) signals corresponding to changes in grain orientation in
routing. Both the AE signals and the state of cutting process were recorded
on high-speed video cameras in an attempt to clarify the relationships bet
ween them. Based on the results, it appeared that generated AE was closely
related to the state of cutting, as well as the surface finish. The greater
the AE, the more severe the cutting performance for inclination angles. Th
e greatest AE was generated when machining failures - fuzzy grains - were p
roduced. Concerning the annual ring angle, the AE count rate, lowest at 0 d
egrees, slightly increased until 75 degrees, and then rapidly reached its m
aximum at 90 degrees. Changes in the slope angle had also an effect on the
AE signal. The AE count rate, highest at the 0 degrees, gradually decreased
until 75-105 degrees, and then increased to reach its maximum at 180 degre
es. Moreover, there were correlations between the AE count rate and surface
roughness. Therefore, acoustic emission has shown promise for the monitori
ng of the surface roughness including various cutting conditions.