Method for controlling flow localization in machining processes

A process of producing a machined component from a material, the process comprising the steps of:

• conducting a first machining operation without a constraining member to produce a first chip from a solid body of the material and to form a first machined surface on the material by providing relative motion between the material and a cutting edge of a cutting member, the first machining operation causing flow localization that creates a serrated flow pattern within the first chip;
• microscopically examining the first chip to detect the serrated flow pattern and measure by optical microscopy a maximum chip thickness of the first chip within the serrated flow pattern and a minimum chip thickness of the first chip within the serrated flow pattern;
• determining an average chip thickness of the first chip;
• conducting a second machining operation with a constraining member to continuously produce a second chip from the solid body of the material and to form from the solid body the machined component having a second machined surface on the material by providing relative motion between the material and the cutting edge of the cutting member;
• and
• simultaneously extruding the second chip in the immediate vicinity of the cutting edge and as the second chip is separated from the material by the cutting edge to continuously plastically deform the second chip and produce an extruded chip, the extruding step being performed at least in part by the constraining member that defines an opening with the cutting edge of the cutting member and through which the second chip passes and is plastically deformed to produce the extruded chip, a spacing being defined between an edge of the constraining member and the cutting edge of the cutting member;
• wherein the second machining operation comprises adjusting the spacing between the cutting edge of the cutting member and the edge of the constraining member such that the extruded chip has an extruded chip thickness that is less than or equal to the average chip thickness of the first chip;
• and
• wherein the extruded chip has a cross-sectional shape having two orthogonal dimensions comprising a thickness dimension determined by the extruded chip thickness and a width dimension orthogonal to the thickness dimension, the extruded chip having a microstructure in which flow localization in the extruded chip is suppressed to a level relative to the flow localization caused by the first machining operation so as to result in the second machined surface of the machined component formed by the second machining operation exhibiting lower heterogeneity in deformation and higher surface smoothness relative to the first machined surface formed on the material by the first machining operation.