Machining method to controllably produce chips with determinable shapes and sizes

A method of machining a body to controllably produce chips with determinable lengths, shapes and sizes, the method comprising:

• selecting at least one desired shape and size for chips produced by machining the body,
• rotating at least one of a cutting tool and the body,
• machining the body at a cutting velocity and a depth of cut, and imposing a superimposed sinusoidal modulation having a frequency and amplitude that causes relative movement between the cutting tool and the body, causes the uncut chip thickness to vary with time, and causes instantaneous and periodic engagement and separation between the cutting tool and the body at an intimate region of contact between the cutting tool and the body, wherein each periodic engagement and separation between the cutting tool and the body yields a chip, shapes and sizes of the chips are intentionally controlled by the superimposed modulation, the cutting velocity, feedrate, the depth of cut, and the frequency and amplitude of the superimposed modulation are intentionally selected and controlled to produce the desired shape and size of the chips, and the chips are chosen from the group consisting of platelets, needles, ribbons, filaments, fibers, wires, and equiaxed particles.