first was the creation of a smart experimental setup to study forces vibrations and acoustic emissions generated during the machining of natural-fiber composite materials and thereby using the signal patterns themselves to understand the physical phenomena underlying the way the material is removed from the surface of the composite material during the cutting process this guided the setting of the various conditions such as the speed at which the tool should move the cut the best orientation of the composite material to achieve an efficient cut and quality products the work also led to the development of mathematical finite element models to simulate how forces are generated during the cutting process and how they vary under the influence of the heat generated during the process el mansori said biocomposites especially those with long continuous fibers present many challenges during near net-shape processing where requirements include accurate dimensional tolerancing drilling holes for assembly and controlled surface characteristics finishing operations such as machining or polishing are mandatory for fabricating the biocomposite part to meet service requirements however finishing operations should not cause excessive damage in order to preserve the required industrial functionality of the biocomposite part (ie mechanical frictional thermal acoustic or damping properties) the main damage source emanates from the severe contact between the abrasive tools and the biocomposite due to the high-generated tribological and thermal stresses addressing these challenges required expertise in multiple areas understanding the mechanism of the cutting process is essential for creating quality products especially those of interest to the automotive industry bukkapatnam said besides the two of us this research effort brought together the expertise of drs jn reddy and bruce tai of mechanical engineering (at texas a&m) and two project associates drs zimo wang and faissal chegdani who have since graduated and now serve as assistant professors in suny binghamton us and arts et métiers france respectively because of the wide range of applications that exist for these natural composites the impact of their research on cutting techniques can be enormous combinations of natural fibers and biobased polymers have been shown to have appealing composite properties offering the enticing prospect that fully biobased composites are an increasing commercial reality el mansori said green image weight savings shorter cycle times scratch resistance and above all a lower (carbon) footprint are important factors for this development plus the demand from designers manufacturers and consumers for environmentally friendly products will inevitably drive the rapid development of other biocomposite materials and products as well and future developments in fully biobased composites of consistent quality natural-fiber products could also be required at an affordable price in appropriate forms for composite molding and secondary mechanical processing technology the next few decades will witness a major transformation in the materials that we use in our daily lives and for various applications bukkapatnam said there will be a major push toward using materials and products that use a minimal carbon and economic footprint and are environmentally benign this research leverages texas a&ms initiatives in smart manufacturing to lead a major thrust toward smart secure and sustainable manufacturing systems these efforts are central to the current transatlantic partnership led by texas a&m and arts et métiers