Calls for papers

 

International Journal of Machining and Machinability of Materials

 

Special Issue on: "Advances in Modelling and Optimisation of Machining Processes"

Guest Editors:
Professor R. Venkata Rao, S. V. National Institute of Technology, India
Professor J. Paulo Davim, University of Aveiro, Portugal

Machining is one of the most important and widely used manufacturing processes in engineering industries. Today's machining processes are caught between the growing need for quality, high process safety, minimal machining costs, and short machining times. In order to meet these demands, machining process setting parameters have to be chosen in the best possible way. For such optimisation, it is necessary to represent the machining process in a model. Accuracy and possibility of determining global optimum solutions depend on the type of modelling technique used to express the objective functions and constraints in terms of the decision variables.

Accurate and reliable models of a machining process can compensate for the inability to completely understand and adequately describe the process mechanism. Thus, formulation of an optimisation model is the most important task in the optimisation process. It involves identifying the decision variables to be optimised, expressing the objective functions and constraints as function of decision variables, setting up of feasible ranges for decision variables, and finally expressing the optimisation problem as a mathematical model in a standard format, which can be solved by an appropriate optimisation algorithm.

Due to the enormous complexity of many machining processes and the high number of influencing parameters, conventional approaches to modelling and optimisation are no longer sufficient. As the machining processes get increasingly complex, the process models are possibly discontinuous, non-differentiable, or non-explicit with the design variables. As conventional gradient-based nonlinear optimisation techniques have difficulty in solving those optimisation problems, one must resort to advanced optimisation techniques such as evolutionary algorithms, meta-heuristics, neural networks, etc.

This special issue invites the submission of high quality research articles related to advanced modelling and optimisation of various machining processes. It encourages submissions from all over the world that expand the frontiers of the fundamental theories and concepts underlying machining processes and their modelling and optimisation techniques.

Subject Coverage
Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

A) Advanced modelling and optimisation techniques (with applications to the machining processes listed at B):

• Statistical analyses
• Response surface methodology
• Taguchi's robust design method / Taguchi fuzzy based approach / Taguchi and Gauss elimination method
• Fuzzy set theory based modelling
• Finite element modelling / simulation
• Grey relational analysis / grey fuzzy logic
• Artificial neural networks (ANNs) / neuro-fuzzy methods / neuro-fuzzy Taguchi networks
• Knowledge based expert systems
• Metaheuristic optimisation techniques in deterministic and stochastic environments for single as well as multiple objectives (genetic algorithms and its versions such as NSGA, NSGA-II, MOGA, differential evolution, etc., simulated annealing, inverse evolutionary approach, Tabu search, particle swarm optimisation, civilized swarm optimisation, ant colony optimisation, artificial immune algorithms, harmony search algorithms, harmony elements algorithms, artificial bee colony algorithms, shuffled frog leaping algorithms, hybrid approaches such as GA+SA, GA+Tabu search, GA+PSO, etc.)

B) Machining processes:
Conventional machining processes:

• Turning processes (multi-pass cylindrical turning, hard turning, high speed turning, etc.)
• Drilling processes (conventional hole drilling, incremental hole drilling, etc.)
• Milling processes (peripheral milling, face milling, end milling, flank milling, multi-tool milling, multi-pass milling, etc.)
• Grinding processes (cylindrical grinding, centreless grinding, surface grinding, creep feed grinding, etc.)
• Finishing processes (lapping, honing, polishing, burnishing, superfinishing, etc.)
Modern machining processes:

• Mechanical processes (abrasive jet machining, water jet machining, abrasive water jet machining, ultrasonic machining, etc.)
• Electrochemical processes (electrochemical machining, electrochemical grinding, electrochemical honing, electrochemical deburring, electrochemical polishing, electrochemical jet drilling, etc.)
• Chemical processes (chemical milling, chemical blanking, electropolishing, etc.)
• Thermal and electrothermal processes (EDM, wire EDM, high speed EDM, powder mixed EDM, electrical discharge turning, laser beam machining, electron beam machining, plasma arc machining, etc.)
• Hybrid machining processes (vibration assisted EDM, vibration assisted ECM, electrochemical discharge grinding, electrical discharge grinding, abrasive ECG, abrasive EDG, abrasive electro-jet machining, wire EDG, etc.)
• Micromachining processes (micro EDM, micro ECM, micro welding, micro forming, micro drilling, micro milling, micromachining using abrasive jets, etc.)
• Nanofinishing processes (abrasive flow machining, magnetic abrasive finishing, ELID grinding, magnetic float polishing, etc.)

Notes for Prospective Authors

Submitted papers should not have been previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. (N.B. Conference papers may only be submitted if the paper was not originally copyrighted and if it has been completely re-written).

All papers are refereed through a peer review process. A guide for authors, sample copies and other relevant information for submitting papers are available on the Author Guidelines page

Important Dates

Submission: 30 June 2011