Journal of Emerging Trends in Engineering and Applied Sciences: Research Areas

Abstract:
This work examines the impact of feed, cutting speed, depth of cut and tool-chip contact length on machining process stability of mild steel and aluminium alloys. Forty experiments were carried out on aluminium and mild steel alloys based on cutting parameters (feed rate, cutting speed and depth of cut). Tests conducted entails measuring the lengths of chips that slide on the tool face (tool-chip contact length) at various combinations of cutting parameters. Results showed that as the cutting force increased from 347N to 1346N at constant depth of cut (0.10mm) and cutting speed (47m/min), the contact length increased from 0.05mm to 0.26mm for Aluminium alloys. At higher cutting speed of 71m/min and 0.20mm depth of cut, lower cutting force of 261N to 612N was recorded giving rise to increased contact length of 0.57mm to 0.81mm. Higher values of contact length (0.08mm to 0.74mm) were obtained for mild steel as the cutting force increased from 505N to 1187N at the same cutting conditions for aluminium. At higher cutting speed of 71m/min and 0.20mm depth of cut, lower cutting force of 484N to 1105N were obtained for mild steel with contact length increasing from 0.73mm to 0.90mm. Therefore, tool-chip contact length decreases as feed rate increases and mild steel gives higher instability of machining process than aluminium alloys under the same cutting conditions.

Keywords: feed rate; depth of cut; cutting speed; mild steel; aluminum; machining

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