Analysis of Surface Roughness and Cutting Forces in Hard Turning of 42CrMo4 Steel using Taguchi and RSM Method

Abstract

In this study, effects of cutting speed (V), feed rate (f), depth of cut (a) and tool tip radius (R) on  surface roughness (Ra, Rz, and Rt) and cutting forces (radial force (Fx), tangential force (Fy), and feed force (Fz)) in hard finish turning processes of hardened 42CrMo4 (52 HRC) material was investigated experimentally. Taguchi’s mixed level parameter design (L18) is used for the experimental design (2x1,3x3). The signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) was used in the evaluation of test results.  By using Taguchi method, cutting parameters giving optimum surface roughness and cutting forces were determined. Regression analyses are applied to predict surface roughness and cutting forces. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) is used to determine the effects of the machining parameters on surface roughness and cutting forces. According to ANOVA analysis, the most important cutting parameters were found to be feed rate for surface roughness and depth of cut among cutting forces.  By conducting validation experiments, optimization was seen to be applied successfully.