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Leaving Cert Engineering: Cutting tools, chips & fluids

How often Cutting tools, chips & fluids comes up on the Engineering papers, every year it was asked, and questions to try.

HL Asked on 8 of the last 9 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2025. most years

OL Asked on 8 of the last 9 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2025. most years

June 2028 is the first exam on the new Engineering course. These come from the 2016–2025 papers, so read them as a guide.

Cutting tools, chips & fluids, Higher Level(7 marks)

Quick ones on Cutting tools, chips & fluids.

(a)Tool angle that stops the tool's flank rubbing on the work?
  1. Rake angle
  2. Clearance angle
  3. Point angle
(b)Discontinuous (broken) chips are typical when machining?
  1. Aluminium
  2. Copper
  3. Grey cast iron
(c)A built-up edge on a cutting tool is?
  1. Work metal welded onto the tool tip
  2. A deliberately raised rake angle
  3. A chip breaker ground into the tool
Show the answers

(a) Clearance angle

(b) Grey cast iron

(c) Work metal welded onto the tool tip

Your turn: Higher Level questions on Cutting tools, chips & fluids.

Higher Level

Asked on 8 of the last 9 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2025. most years

Every paper, year by year

YearWhere it came up
2025Q1(c), Q8
2024Q8
2023Q8
2022Q8
2021Not asked
2019Q7
2018Q7
2017Q7
2016Q7

Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.

More Cutting tools, chips & fluids questions

Cutting tools, chips & fluids, 3 marks

Main advantage of tungsten carbide tool inserts?

  1. Easy to regrind by hand on any grinder
  2. Extremely tough under heavy shock
  3. Very hard: stay sharp at high cutting speeds
Show the answer

Very hard: stay sharp at high cutting speeds

Carbide keeps its hardness at much higher temperatures than HSS, so it can cut faster. It is brittle and is simply indexed or replaced when worn.

Cutting tools, chips & fluids, 2 marks

Purpose of a chip breaker on a lathe tool?

  1. Reduces the spindle speed when the load rises
  2. Breaks long continuous chips into short, safe pieces
  3. Cools the tool tip by directing coolant onto it
Show the answer

Breaks long continuous chips into short, safe pieces

Long ribbons of swarf wrap round the work and can cut the operator. A groove or step on the tool curls the chip until it snaps.

Cutting tools, chips & fluids, 3 marks

Why are negative rake angles used on carbide tools for hard materials?

  1. The cutting edge is stronger and less likely to chip
  2. It gives the best finish on soft aluminium
  3. It lowers the cutting force
Show the answer

The cutting edge is stronger and less likely to chip

Negative rake puts more metal behind the edge and loads the brittle carbide in compression. Cutting forces rise, but the edge survives hard and interrupted cuts.

Ordinary Level

Asked on 8 of the last 9 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2025. most years

Every paper, year by year

YearWhere it came up
2025Q6
2024Q1(d), Q1(m), Q6
2023Q1(m), Q6
2022Q6
2021Q1(l), Q6
2019Q1(l), Q6
2018Not asked
2017Q6
2016Q1(h), Q6

Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.

More Cutting tools, chips & fluids questions

Cutting tools, chips & fluids, 2 marks

Why is cutting fluid used when machining?

  1. Makes the metal softer so it cuts more easily
  2. Makes the tool spin faster through the metal
  3. Cools the tool and work and flushes chips away
Show the answer

Cools the tool and work and flushes chips away

Cooling keeps the tool edge hard and the work to size. The fluid also lubricates, improving the finish. Soluble oil is common; wipe up spills and avoid skin contact.

Cutting tools, chips & fluids, 3 marks

What does the rake angle on a cutting tool control?

  1. The speed of the spindle
  2. How easily the chip flows off the tool
  3. Whether the tool rubs on the work
Show the answer

How easily the chip flows off the tool

Rake is the slope of the tool's top face. More rake gives an easier cut in soft metals like aluminium; brittle metals need little. Rubbing is prevented by clearance.

Cutting tools, chips & fluids, 3 marks

Why does a lathe tool need a clearance angle?

  1. So its face does not rub on the work
  2. So chips curl away easily
  3. So it can cut in both directions
Show the answer

So its face does not rub on the work

Clearance is ground below the cutting edge. Without it the tool rubs, heats up and gives a poor finish. Chip flow is controlled by the rake angle.

Other Engineering topics

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