A METHOD OF BREAKING CHIPS AND APPARATUS THEREFOR

Abstract

A method of breaking chips is disclosed in which the chip generated during cutting is broken into small pieces by increasing the shear strain at the shear plane, which is the joint between the chip and the workpiece, until fracture occurs at the shear plane. This is achieved by forming the chip (1) generated during cutting into a lever, in which the head (11) of the chip is the load-lifting point receiving a force from a first plane (9), the contact between the chip (1) and a second plane (12) of the chip breaker is the fulcrum, and the root (8) of the chip, which joins the chip to the shear plane is the force-exerting point exerting a force additional to the shear force acting along the shear plane to strain the material until fracture occurs at the shear plane.