Machining Performance of Aluminium 7075 Composite: A Grey Based Taguchi Concept

Abstract

Irregular particulates of Silicon carbide (SiCp) augmented aluminium 7075 metal matrix composite (MMC) was processed by vortex route of stir casting. Homogeneous dispersion of the reinforcement was verified by metallurgical microscope. Machining performance of the synthesized MMC was investigated during turning, considering surface roughness, cutting temperature, tool flank wear and material removal rate as performance criteria. The chips formed during the turning trials were also analyzed. The machining quality targets were optimized simultaneously through grey relational analysis (GRA) based Taguchi method, which resulted that the optimal combination of parametric levels was 154 m.min-1, 0.04 mm.rev-1and 0.1 mm of cutting speed (V), feed (f) and cutting depth (d), respectively. Mathematical models were then generated for the individual responses using response surface method, followed by verification of their adequacy.