As industry accelerates, interest is increasing in monitoring important machine-tool components and cutting processes. One of the common tools for monitoring is provided by microacoustic VA signals accompanying contact interaction in friction and cutting. Those signals are comparatively simple to measure and good facilities are available for their measurement, with good dynamic response to the amplitude changes occurring during cutting [1, 2]. The VA signal source is provided by elastic waves generated by processes in the cutting zone. Those waves propagate through the machine and into the air, and are reflected from surfaces and gradually die away in the resultant wave. The latter as reaching some point on the surface causes displacement and acceleration, which can be recorded with an accelerometer. Cutting is a complicated process, where random phenomena can lead to premature tool failure as well as rejects and accidents. In spite of improvements in cutting tools and machining technology, such phenomena are indicated by the theory of normal accidents as being inevitable [3], since they occur in complicated systems consisting of sets of coupled elements. To reduce the probabilities of accidents and their consequences, one requires monitoring systems that track these processes.
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