[S1087-1357(00)02101-8]
Professor P. L. B. Oxley
(January 8, 1930–October 15, 1999)
Peter Louis Brennan Oxley died October 15, 1999, in his home Cronulla, Sydney, Australia. He spent the first half of his life in his native country, the U. K., and the second half in his adopted country, Australia, from where he continued to maintain close links with the international community through frequent (and much enjoyed) travel. In 1965, at the age of 35, he was appointed to the Foundation Chair of Industrial Engineering at the University of New South Wales, a position he held until becoming the inaugural Sir James Kirby Professor of Production Engineering, 1970–1990. Subsequently, he held posts as Honorary Research Professor and Emeritus Professor, all at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. It would be no exaggeration to state that Peter Oxley had put the University of New South Wales on the world map of machining research, in particular, and manufacturing research, in general.
Oxley’s many awards include the F. W. Taylor Medal of CIRP (1964), Water Arbitration Prize (1969), Thomas Bernard Hall Prize of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (London) (1982), B. P. Oil Tribology Award (1987). He was an active member of the CIRP (1966), a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences (1981), a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (London), and Life Member of ASME (1991). He had an outstanding record in attaining competitive research grants and in attracting funds from the private sector.
Peter Oxley was introduced to the field of metal cutting by Sir Derman Christopherson, his Ph.D. advisor, and by Professor W. Palmer, his joint supervisor at the University of Leeds. He was awarded a Ph.D. in 1957 in this field. His paper on the Mechanics of Orthogonal Machining, published in 1959 in the Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, London, laid the foundation for much of the elegant research that followed in the next four decades. Although Lee and Shaffer were the first to introduce the slip-line field theory and plasticity in machining, it was Oxley who carried it further to develop a unified theory of metal cutting. His unique contributions to machining were well recognized by his peers as well as by other researchers who followed his illustrious career. It is without doubt that Peter Oxley has left an indelible mark in this field.
In a broader sense, Oxley’s research centered around the slip-line field theory, in particular and plasticity, in general. His research efforts were focused on three closely related fields, namely, metal cutting, metal forming, and tribology with seminal contributions in each of them. Mechanics of machining, however, was his first passion. He contributed to this field throughout his research career while metal forming and tribology evolved out of active collaboration with his research associates. Some 60 researchers collaborated with him during his illustrious career. Oxley co-authored more than 125 papers published in archival journals (including several in the Transactions of the ASME) and presented his work at numerous international as well as national conferences.
Oxley also wrote a classic monograph entitled the Mechanics of Machining—An Analytical Approach to Assessing Machinability (published in 1989 by Ellis Horwood). Oxley’s contributions to machining theory lay in applying the continuum mechanics to the analysis of the chip formation process, and this book provides an overview of three decades of research by Oxley and his collaborators into machining theory, in addition to reviewing that literature closely related to his own approach. The monograph summarizes Oxley’s main contributions and approach to metal cutting. The beautiful color photomicrograph of the chip root of the cutting process obtained using an explosive quick-stop device showing the deformation in the shear zone and in the chip (which is on the cover of Oxley’s book) remains as a vivid memory of this man’s great contribution with his student and associate Mike Stevenson.
Oxley’s primary interest in machining was on the mechanics of the process taking into account plasticity conditions. His initial work was based on a simple shear plane model, before moving on to a parallel sided shear zone, and finally to the conventional shear zone using the slip line field approach. He introduced into the analysis temperature and strain rate effects by incorporating the dependence of the workmaterial flow stress and thermal properties on them. Of course, obtaining the constitutive equations for different materials at different temperatures and strain rates still remains a difficult task, especially in view of the high strain rates and concomitant high temperatures involved in machining. The interactions between friction and shear in metal cutting makes the task even more difficult and would eventually lead Oxley into the study of tribology.
Oxley was concerned with more than the mere phenomenological approach to the process. He was interested in developing predicting capabilities of the model. This can be noticed from his emphasis on “prediction” in the titles of some 20 of his papers. Initially his theory was limited to a relatively simple 2-D or orthogonal machining. He subsequently extended it to oblique machining, first to a straight edge and later on to more than one edge with a nose radius. He developed models that could predict forces, stresses, chip curl, built-up edge, temperatures, tool life—in short, many aspects of metal cutting of interest to practitioners as well as researchers.
Oxley’s interest in metal forming grew out of his association with Len Farmer, his graduate student and subsequent research partner. Together they made many outstanding contributions to this important field. Similarly, Oxley’s interests in tribology—friction, lubrication, and wear—were fostered in association with J. M. Challen, his graduate student initially, and Eleonora Kopalinsky, subsequently. Those who are familiar only with Oxley’s contributions to machining will be pleasantly surprised with the profilic contributions his group has made to tribology in the last two decades, again using the slip-line field theory as a basis. Oxley’s conceptualization of the mechanisms governing metallic friction and wear was one of his greatest and proudest achievements.
In 1991, in my capacity as Vice President, Manufacturing Group of ASME, I invited Peter Oxley to deliver the Rice Lecture at the ASME Winter Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. A special symposium on Tribological Aspects in Manufacturing was organized by M. A. Attia and myself. Peter accepted our invitation with a request that, although he was going to deliver the Rice Lecture himself, he wished to include the names of his co-authors, Drs. E. M. Kopalinsky and X. Li, in the text of the paper in the proceedings. This clearly shows Peter’s unquestionable devotion to his students and close colleagues. As a Rice Lecturer, Oxley accomplished a special distinction, becoming a Life Member of ASME.
This finally brings us to some aspects of Peter Oxley’s personal life. Peter was married to his dear wife, Beryl. They had four children—Steven, Carol, Simon, and Deborah. Family was incredibly important to Peter, and his research associates were part of an extended family. He was keen on the well-being of all of them, and the world in general. Without hesitation I can write, Peter was a scholar and a gentleman. He was very pleasant to work with and very easy to communicate with either on technical subjects, such as machining, metal forming, and tribology, or other subjects like cricket, which was one of Peter’s great interests. He was also an accomplished pianist (and, I am told, an even better dog walker!). Peter Oxley will be missed not only by his family, colleagues, and friends but also by many passionate metal cutters, metal formers, and tribologists. Peter undoubtedly left a legacy of passion for research in search of truth. His contributions to technical literature will remain as a landmark for a long time to come. On hearing the sad news from me, one of his friends commented thus “he was someone the likes of whom we are unlikely to see again.”
In conclusion, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Peter’s dedicated secretary Ms Diane Augee for providing me with some of the information that facilitated the preparation of this memorial to a great man who will be remembered for a long time to come. My own interactions with Peter Oxley go back to 1968 when I was a graduate student at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. The many similar interests, both technical and otherwise, we shared drew us closer and I miss my dear friend. Peter, you can be proud of your accomplishments and may your soul rest in peace.
