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Effect of Cutting Parameters on Cutting Force and Surface Roughness of

Aluminium Components using Face Milling Process - a Taguchi Approach

Article in IOSR Journal of Mechanical and Civil Engineering · January 2012

DOI: 10.9790/1684-0340713

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IOSR Journal of Mechanical and Civil Engineering (IOSR-JMCE)
ISSN: 2278-1684 Volume 3, Issue 4 (Sep-Oct. 2012), PP 07-13
www.iosrjournals.org

Effect of Cutting Parameters on Cutting Force and Surface

Roughness of Aluminium Components using Face Milling Process
- a Taguchi Approach
Anil Antony Sequeira1, Ravikantha Prabhu2, N.S.Sriram3,
Thirumaleshwara Bhat4
1
Corresponding Author
1, 2, 4
Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Joseph Engineering College, Mangalore - 575 028 Karnataka
INDIA.
3
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vidya Vikas Institute of Engineering and Technology
Mysore – 570010 Karnataka INDIA.

Abstract: Aluminum is used excessively in the modern world and the uses of the metals are extremely diverse
due to its many unusual combinations of properties. They have been widely used in industries, especially
aerospace industries due to their attractive mechanical and chemical properties. However, machining of
Aluminium results in good surface finish at the expense of tooling cost. This study investigates the optimum
parameters that could produce significant good surface finish and optimum cutting force thereby reducing
tooling cost. It employs the Taguchi design method to optimize the surface roughness quality and cutting force
in a Computer Numerical Control (CNC). The milling parameters evaluated are cutting speed, feed rate and
depth of cut. An L9(34) orthogonal array, signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio and analysis of variance (ANOVA) are
employed to analyze the effect of these cutting parameters. The analysis of the result indicates that the optimal
combination for low resultant cutting force and good surface finish are high cutting speed, low feed rate and
low depth of cut. The study shows that the Taguchi method is suitable to solve the machining problems with
minimum number of trials as compared with a full factorial design.

I. INTRODUCTION
Robust design is an engineering methodology for obtaining product and process conditions, which are
minimally sensitive to the various causes of variation to produce high-quality products with low development
and manufacturing costs [1]. Taguchi‟s parameter design is an important tool for robust design. It offers a
simple and systematic approach to optimize design for performance, quality and cost. Two major tools used in
robust design or Taguchi design are [1–6]:
• Signal to noise ratio, which measures quality with emphasis on variation, and
• Orthogonal arrays, which accommodate many design factors simultaneously.
When a critical quality characteristic deviates from the target value, it causes a loss [2]. Continuously
pursuing variability reduction from the target value in critical quality characteristics is the key to achieve high
quality and reduce cost.
The successful applications of Taguchi methods by both engineers and statisticians within British
industry have lead to the formation of UK Taguchi Club [4]. Taguchi‟s approach is totally based on statistical
design of experiments [1], and this can economically satisfy the needs of problem solving and product/process
design optimization [5]. By applying this technique one can significantly reduce the time required for
experimental investigation, as it is effective in investigating the effects of multiple factors on performance as
well as to study the influence of individual factors to determine which factor has more influence, which less
[1,6]. Some of the previous works that used the Taguchi method as tool for design of experiment in various
areas including metal cutting are listed in Refs. [7–10].
Numerous roughness height parameters such as average roughness, smoothening depth, root mean
square and maximum peak-to-valley height can be closely correlated. This study uses average roughness for the
characterization of surface roughness, due to the fact that it is widely adopted in the industry for specifying the
surface roughness. Mital M. Mehta [13] has conducted a survey of the previously developed surface roughness
prediction models and factors influencing the surface roughness. He has found that most of the surface
roughness prediction models have been developed for steels.
This paper describes a case study on face milling parameters at three levels each. The main objective
is to find a combination of milling parameters to achieve low cutting force and surface roughness.

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 Effect of cutting parameters on cutting force and the surface roughness of Aluminium components
II. MATERIAL AND METHODS
A Material
Aluminum is a soft, lightweight, malleable metal with appearance of a silver-white metal obtained
from bauxite. The appearance may range from silvery to dull gray, depending on the surface roughness. The
yield strength of pure aluminum is 7–11 MPa, while aluminum alloys have yield strengths ranging from 200
MPa to 600 MPa. Aluminum has about one-third the density and stiffness of steel. It is ductile, and can be easily
machined, cast, and extruded. Aluminum is a good thermal and electrical conductor, by weight better than
copper. Aluminum is capable of being a superconductor, with a superconducting critical temperature of 1.2
Kelvin and a critical magnetic field of about 100 gauss.

B Design of experiment
Design of experiment is the powerful analysis tool for modeling and analyzing the influence of the
control factors on the performance output. The most important stage in the design of experiment lies in the
selection of the control factors. The operating conditions, under which measurement of cutting force carried out,
are given in Table 1
The Taguchi method, which is effective to deal with responses, is influenced by multi-variables 16].
This method drastically reduces the number of experiments that are required to model the response function
compared with the full factorial design of experiments. The Taguchi technique is devised for process
optimization and identification of optimal combination of the factors for a given response. This technique is
divided into three main phases, which encompasses all experimentation approaches. The three phases are (1) the
planning phase (2) the conducting phase and (3) the analysis phase. This technique creates a standard orthogonal
array to accommodate the effect of several factors on the target value and defines the plan of experiments. The
experimental results are analyzed using analysis of means and variance to study the influence of factors.
Three parameters, viz., Feed Rate, Spindle Speed and Depth of Cut each at three levels, are
considered in this study in accordance with L9( 34) orthogonal array design. The plan of the experiment is as
follows: the first column is assigned to the Feed Rate (A), the second column to the Spindle Speed (B), the
fourth column to the Depth of Cut (C).

TABLE I
Control factors and their levels
Parameters Level 1 Level 2 Level
Feed Rate(mm/min) 400 800 1600
Spindle Speed(rpm) 1300 1800 2600
Depth of cut(mm) 0.7 1.2 1.7

The experimental observations are transformed into signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio. There are several S/N
ratios available depending on the type of characteristic, which can be calculated as logarithmic transformation of
the loss function. For lower is the better characteristic, the following equation is used.
S 1
N
= −10 log n y2 (1)
Where „n‟ is the number of observations, and „y‟ the observed data. “Lower is the better” (LB)
characteristic, with the above S/N ratio transformation, is suitable for minimization of average cutting force
measured along X, Y and Z axes.

C Surface roughness evaluation

There are various simple surface roughness amplitude parameters used in industry, such as roughness
average (Ra), root-meansquare (rms) roughness (Rq), and maximum peak-to-valley roughness (Ry or Rmax),
etc. Since Ra and Rq are the most widely used surface parameters in industry, Ra was selected to express the
surface roughness in this study. The average roughness (Ra) is the area between the roughness profile and its
mean line, or the integral of the absolute value of the roughness profile height over the evaluation length (Fig.1).
The Ra is specified by the following equation:
1 𝐿
𝑅𝑎 = 𝐿 0 𝑌(𝑥) 𝑑𝑥 (µm) (2)

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 Effect of cutting parameters on cutting force and the surface roughness of Aluminium components

Fig.1. Surface roughness profile (Chen and Yang, 2001).

A Machining parameter
To improve the quality of surface roughness of Aluminium alloys and processes with minimum cost
and time constraints, the Taguchi parameter design techniques are applied in design of experiment (DOE).
Minimum surface roughness average (Ra) is carried out since the value represents better or improved surface
roughness. Therefore, a smaller-the-better method is implemented in this experiment [14]. The controllable
parameters are selected because of their potential effects on surface roughness performance in face milling
operations. The parameters feed rate (A), cutting speed (B) and the depth of cut (C) used as control parameters
to measure responses for surface roughness and signal-to-noise ratio can be calculated to determine the optimum
cutting condition [15].
B Experimental Setup
BFW Agni BMV 45 T20 CNC vertical axis milling machine is used for the machining of the
Aluminium components. The milling cutter used for experimentation is SECO R220.69-12 grade. The tool
holder used for experimentation was BT 40 grade. Face Milled components are shown in Figure 2. A Mitutoyo
Surf test SJ-301 Profilometer was used to measure surface roughness (Ra) of the machined components.
Variation in the cutting force during the machining is calculated using the spindle power. The average cutting
force measured along X, Y and Z axes called the Fx,Fy and Fz respectively.

Fig.2. Face milled Aluminium work pieces.

III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

 Analysis of Experimental Results
The experimental data for cutting force and roughness is reported in the Table 2. From Table 2 the
overall mean for the S/N ratio of the cutting force Fx, Fy, Fz and the roughness are found to be -54.32db, - 51.59
db and 8.34 db respectively. The analyses of the experimental data are carried using the software MINITAB 15
specially used for design of experiment applications.

 Analysis of S/N Ratio

Figs. 3-5 showed the main effects plot for S/N ratios. The level of a factor with the highest S/N ratio
was the optimum level for responses measured. From the S/N ratio analysis in Figs. 1-3, the optimal machining
conditions were 400 mm/min feed rate (level 1), 2600 rpm spindle speed (level 3) and 0.7 mm depth of cut
(level 1) for cutting force Fx, Fy and Fz.

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 Effect of cutting parameters on cutting force and the surface roughness of Aluminium components

Fig.3. S/N ratio values for Fx

Fig.4. S/N ratio values for Fy

TABLE II
EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

Feed Spindle
Depth of S/N
Rate Speed FX(N) S/N Ratio FY(N) S/N Ratio FZ(N) S/N Ratio Ra(µm)
Cut (C) Ratio
(A) (B)
400 1300 0.7 392 -51.8657 235.2 -47.4287 490 -53.8039 0.18 14.8945
400 1800 1.2 588 -55.3875 274.4 -48.7677 490 -53.8039 0.11 19.1721
400 2600 1.7 392 -51.8657 235.2 -47.4287 490 -53.8039 0.39 8.1787
800 1300 1.7 862.4 -58.7142 784 -57.8863 637 -56.0828 0.48 6.3752
800 1800 0.7 392 -51.8657 274.4 -48.7677 490 -53.8039 0.23 12.7654
800 2600 1.2 705.6 -56.9712 274.4 -48.7677 588 -55.3875 0.3 10.4576
1600 1300 1.2 823.2 -58.3101 784 -57.8863 637 -56.0828 0.55 5.1927
1600 1800 1.7 705.6 -56.9712 509.6 -54.1446 686 -56.7265 0.31 10.1728
1600 2600 0.7 392 -51.8657 235.2 -47.4287 539 -54.6318 0.44 7.1309

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 Effect of cutting parameters on cutting force and the surface roughness of Aluminium components

Fig.5. S/N ratio values for Fz

Fig.6. S/N ratio values for Surface Roughness

From Fig.6, the optimal machining conditions were 400 m/min feed rate (level 1), 1800 rpm spindle
speed (level 2) and 0.7 mm depth of cut (level 1) respectively for surface roughness.

 Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)

ANOVA was used to determine the significant parameters influencing the surface roughness and
force components in the milling of Aluminium specimen. Tables 3-6 showed the summary of S/N values and
ANOVA results for cutting force Fx, Fy, Fz and surface roughness, respectively. In this study, analysis was at a
level of significance 5%. In order to understand a concrete visualization of impact of various factors effect on
the output performance, it is desirable to develop analysis of variance (ANOVA) table to find out the order of
significant factors. From Table 3 one can observe that the depth of cut (p=0.072) has greater static influence of
58.76% followed by feed rate (p=0.179) has an influence of 20.99% and spindle speed (p=0.226) has an
influence of 15.65% on cutting force Fx.
From Table 4 one can observe that the spindle speed (p=0.046) has greater static influence of 40.87%
followed by feed rate and depth of cut (p=0.064) has an influence of 28.58% on cutting force Fy.
From Table 5 one can observe that the feed rate (p=0.120) has greater static influence of 55.27% followed by
depth of cut (p=0.202) has an influence of 29.76% and spindle speed (p=0.502) has an influence of 7.45% on
cutting force Fz.

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 Effect of cutting parameters on cutting force and the surface roughness of Aluminium components
TABLE III
SUMMARY OF S/N VALUES AND ANOVA RESULTS FOR FX
Degrees Average S/N Values Percentage
of Sum of Mean of
Factors F P
Freedom Level Level Level Square Square Contribution
DF 1 2 3 (%)
Feed
2 -53.04 -55.85 -55.72 15.079 7.540 4.58 0.179 20.99
Rate
Spindle
2 -56.30 -54.74 -53.57 11.245 5.622 3.42 0.226 15.65
Speed
Depth of
2 -51.87 -56.89 -55.85 42.197 21.098 12.82 0.072 58.76
Cut
Error 2 3.292 1.646 4.60
Total 8 71.812 100
S = 1.28289 R-Sq = 95.42% R-Sq (adj) = 81.67%

TABLE IV
SUMMARY OF S/N VALUES AND ANOVA RESULTS FOR FY
Degrees Average S/N Values Percentage
of Sum of Mean of
Factors F P
Freedom Level Level Level Square Square Contributio
DF 1 2 3 n (%)
Feed
2 -47.88 -51.81 -53.15 45.133 22.566 14.51 0.064 28.58
Rate
Spindle
2 -54.40 -50.56 -47.88 64.539 32.270 20.74 0.046 40.87
Speed
Depth of
2 -47.88 -51.81 -53.15 45.133 22.566 14.51 0.064 28.58
Cut
Error 2 3.111 1.556 1.97
Total 8 157.916 100
S = 1.24724 R-Sq = 98.03% R-Sq(adj) = 92.12%

TABLE V
SUMMARY OF S/N VALUES AND ANOVA RESULTS FOR FZ
Degrees Average S/N Values Percentage
of Sum of Mean of
Factors F P
Freedom Level Level Level Square Square Contribution
DF 1 2 3 (%)
Feed
2 -53.80 -55.09 -55.81 6.2185 3.1092 7.36 0.120 55.27
Rate
Spindle
2 -55.32 -54.78 -54.61 0.8379 0.4190 0.99 0.502 7.45
Speed
Depth
2 -54.08 -55.09 -55.54 3.3478 1.6739 3.96 0.202 29.76
of Cut
Error 2 0.8450 0.4225 7.52
Total 8 11.2491 100
S = 0.649991 R-Sq = 92.49% R-Sq (adj) = 69.95%
From Table 6, one can observe that, the feed rate (p=0.188) has greater static influence of 41.26%
followed by spindle speed (p=0.213) has an influence of 35.21% and depth of cut (p=0.406) has an influence of
13.96% on surface roughness.

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 Effect of cutting parameters on cutting force and the surface roughness of Aluminium components
TABLE VI
SUMMARY OF S/N VALUES AND ANOVA RESULTS FOR ROUGHNESS
Degrees Average S/N Values Percentage
of Sum of Mean of
Factors F P
Freedom Level Level Level Square Square Contribution
DF 1 2 3 (%)
Feed Rate 2 14.082 9.866 7.499 66.712 33.356 4.32 0.188 41.26
Spindle
2 8.821 14.037 8.589 56.937 28.469 3.69 0.213 35.21
Speed
Depth of
2 11.597 11.607 8.242 22.580 11.290 1.46 0.406 13.96
Cut
Error 2 15.447 7.724 9.57
Total 8 161.677 100
S = 2.77916 R-Sq = 90.45% R-Sq (adj) = 61.78%

IV. CONCLUSION
This study discussed the application of Taguchi experimental method for investigating the influence
of milling parameters on cutting force and surface roughness during milling of Aluminum. In the milling
experiments, different cutting speed, feed rate and depth of cut were utilized. The level of importance of the
machining parameters on the cutting force and surface roughness was determined by ANOVA. Based on this
study, the following conclusions can be drawn for the milling conditions:
1. The optimal machining conditions were 400 mm/min feed rate (level 1), 2600 rpm spindle speed (level 3)
and 0.7 mm depth of cut (level 1) for cutting force Fx, Fy and Fz.
2. The optimal machining conditions were 400 m/min feed rate (level 1), 1800 rpm spindle speed (level 2)
and 0.7 mm depth of cut (level 1) for surface roughness.
3. The depth of cut had a greater static influence followed by feed rate and spindle speed on cutting force
component Fx.
4. The spindle speed had greater static influence followed by feed rate and depth of cut on cutting force
component Fy.
5. The feed rate has greater static influence followed by depth of cut and spindle speed on cutting force
component Fz.
6. The feed rate has greater static influence followed by spindle speed and depth of cut on surface
roughness.

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