The article considers the relevance of the dynamometers use by machine-building enterprises and educational institutions for the determination of the cutting forces during machining. There are mentioned technical and operational requirements of the modern measurement dynamometer systems. The characteristics of the dynamometer Dyna-Z for measuring the tangential component of the cutting force during turning were shown. There is also mentioned the experimental data for definition the increase of cutting force Pz, caused by the deterioration of the tool during long operations.

The paper substantiates the necessity of application of artificial intelligence methods in technological design. The methods of synthesis of technological part’s model are considered. The information needed for subsequent technological design is defined. The methods of automated building process for technological part’s model based on a drawing and three-dimensional model are chosen.

Analysis and comparison is presented as to processing performance levels with cutting speeds providing various optimization criteria: minimal cutting tool wear, minimal production cost and maximal cutting performance. It has been established that during machining at the cutting speed corresponding to the minimal cutting tool wear performance is close to the level of productivity when machining at the cutting speed corresponding to the minimal production cost. Results of calculations allow estimating both the performance value and the machinability level of different materials in terms of strength, not only in quality, but also in quantity. This assessment is made subject to the physical and mechanical properties of the work piece and the tool materials, the cutting mode (cutting speed and depth, feed), the tool geometry (cutter tip radius in the plan, cutting edge corner radius, face and clearance angles, major and minor cutting edge angles), as well as the economic performance of cutting (cutting time, cost of machine operation and labor cost, cutting tool operating cost).

The results of the study of the gross content of 14 chemical elements in lichen Platismatia interrupta collected around the geothermal power station “Mendeleevskaya” on Kunashir Island are presented. The highest exceedance was noted for As in the research area. The gross content of As varies from 0.8–2.6 mg/kg in control areas and up to 5–9 mg/kg in the impact zone, i.e. the maximum excess in lichen is noted by 11.6 times. For other elements, there were no strong exceedances in the impact zone compared to the control areas. According to the results of regression analysis, a statistically reliable inverse exponential relationship between the content of As and the distance to the power station (adjusted R2: 0.86, p-value: 0.001) is traced. The average value of the enrichment coefficient for As exceeds 100, which indicates the non-substrate origin of this element.

The results of research of epiphytic lichens as bioindicators of the atmosphere pollution in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk city and its suburbs are reported. Populus maximowiczii was chosen as the most common tree species in the plantings of the city as a lichen substrate. Control sites was chosen in natural habitats of Populus maximowiczii in surroundings of the city. In total, 47 lichen species were registered on bark of Populus maximowiczii on all sites. Three clusters of anthropogenic influence on lichens were defined by the results of the cluster analysis of 15 stations where species composition and occurrence frequency were registered. Four groups of lichen sensitivity to anthropogenic influence were identified according to confinement to these three clusters. The analysis of species distribution by the degree of sensitivity was made for each site.