Specific optimal awjm process parameters for Ti-6Al-4V alloy employing the modified Taguchi approach

Abstract

The high strength-to-weight ratio titanium alloys have good resistance to corrosion and temperature, which are extensively being used in turbine engines and aircraft structures. Machining of such alloys demands advanced processes like abrasive water jet machining (AWJM) to realize the repeatable desired shapes. This paper presents a set of optimal AWJM parameters (viz. traverse speed, abrasive flow rate and stand-off-distance) for maximizing the material removal rate (MRR) and minimizing the surface roughness (Ra) of the Ti-6Al-4V.Amulti-objective optimization technique is applied on the multiple response test data of the Taguchi’s L9 orthogonal array. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) has been carried out to examine the statistical significance of AWJM parameters. The traverse speed is found to have significant effect on Ra and MRR.