Problems and solutions in machining of titanium alloys

Titanium alloys are known as difficult-to-machine materials. The problems of machining titanium are many folds which depend on types of titanium alloys. This paper investigates the underlying mechanisms of basic challenges, such as variation of chip thickness, high heat stress, high pressure loads, springback, and residual stress based on the available literature. These are responsible for higher tool wear and worse machined surface integrity. In addition, many cutting tool materials are inapt for machining titanium alloys as those materials are chemically reactive to titanium alloys under machining conditions. To address these problems, latest techniques such as application of high pressure coolant, cryogenic cooling, tap testing, thermally enhanced machining, hybrid machining, and use of high conductive cutting tool and tool holder have also been discussed and correlated. It seems that all the solutions are not yet well accepted in the industrial domain; further advancement in those fields are required to reduce the machining cost of titanium alloys

One stop shop: backbones trees for important phytopathogenic genera: I (2014)

Many fungi are pathogenic on plants and cause significant damage in agriculture and forestry. They are also part of the natural ecosystem and may play a role in regulating plant numbers/density. Morphological identification and analysis of plant pathogenic fungi, while important, is often hampered by the scarcity of discriminatory taxonomic characters and the endophytic or inconspicuous nature of these fungi. Molecular (DNA sequence) data for plant pathogenic fungi have emerged as key information for diagnostic and classification studies, although hampered in part by non-standard laboratory practices and analytical methods. To facilitate current and future research, this study provides phylogenetic synopses for 25 groups of plant pathogenic fungi in the Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Mucormycotina (Fungi), and Oomycota, using recent molecular data, up-to-date names, and the latest taxonomic insights. Lineage-specific laboratory protocols together with advice on their application, as well as general observations, are also provided. We hope to maintain updated backbone trees of these fungal lineages over time and to publish them jointly as new data emerge. Researchers of plant pathogenic fungi not covered by the present study are invited to join this future effort. Bipolaris, Botryosphaeriaceae, Botryosphaeria, Botrytis, Choanephora, Colletotrichum, Curvularia, Diaporthe, Diplodia, Dothiorella, Fusarium, Gilbertella, Lasiodiplodia, Mucor, Neofusicoccum, Pestalotiopsis, Phyllosticta, Phytophthora, Puccinia, Pyrenophora, Pythium, Rhizopus, Stagonosporopsis, Ustilago and Verticillium are dealt with in this paper