Acoustic emission in drilling carbon steel and nodular gray iron

Purpose: of this paper is to investigate tool wear monitoring of drilling process by acoustic emission (AE). Design/methodology/approach: of tool wear monitoring in drilling acquires the AE signal and analyses it in the frequency domain. Findings: Tool wear in drilling significantly influences the AE signal independently of the measuring method. This influence is evidently different for various materials. The distance between the sensor and borehole has no significant effect on AE signal. Research limitations/implications: A low S/N ratio and sensors with variable frequency response are undesirable characteristics of AE measurements. The significant correlations between the AE signal and characteristics of the cutting process are valid only within certain limits of cutting parameters. Practical implications: The proposed measurements arrangement enables the development of an online drilling tool wear monitoring system, which can be used in serial production. Originality/value: The paper evaluates drill wear effect on AE energy spectra for different workpiece materials