In machining, feed rate is best described as which of the following?

In machining, feed rate is best described as which of the following?

• A. The speed of the workpiece rotation per minute.
• B. The depth of cut per pass.
• C. The distance advanced per tooth or per revolution.
• D. The distance the tool travels in a straight line per hour.

Answer: (C)

Feed rate is about how far the tool moves into the work with each advance. In turning, it’s the distance the tool advances along the axis of the workpiece per revolution. In milling, it’s the distance the tool advances per tooth (per cutting edge) for each revolution of the cutter. This single idea captures how quickly material is being removed and directly influences cutting conditions, tool wear, and surface finish. The other ideas describe different aspects: rotation speed is how fast the spindle turns, not how far the tool moves into the material; depth of cut is how deep the tool goes per pass, not how far it advances per tooth or per rev; and talking about distance per hour isn’t the standard way we characterize cutting progression (though you can convert per rev and rpm into an overall rate, the fundamental definition is per tooth or per revolution). Example: if the tool advances 0.2 mm per revolution and the spindle runs at 150 revolutions per minute, the feed rate is 0.2 × 150 = 30 mm per minute.

Feed rate is about how far the tool moves into the work with each advance. In turning, it’s the distance the tool advances along the axis of the workpiece per revolution. In milling, it’s the distance the tool advances per tooth (per cutting edge) for each revolution of the cutter. This single idea captures how quickly material is being removed and directly influences cutting conditions, tool wear, and surface finish.

The other ideas describe different aspects: rotation speed is how fast the spindle turns, not how far the tool moves into the material; depth of cut is how deep the tool goes per pass, not how far it advances per tooth or per rev; and talking about distance per hour isn’t the standard way we characterize cutting progression (though you can convert per rev and rpm into an overall rate, the fundamental definition is per tooth or per revolution).

Example: if the tool advances 0.2 mm per revolution and the spindle runs at 150 revolutions per minute, the feed rate is 0.2 × 150 = 30 mm per minute.