Optimum Selection of Magnetic Abrasive Flow Machining Conditions During Finishing of Al/SiC/B4C-MMCs Using Taguchi's TechniquePages 259-284
Gagandeep Chawla Abstract:
The use of non-conventional finishing processes for composite materials is essential as these materials have supplanted the conventional ones in several applications as they have properties such as lightweight, high strength and good economy. The current investigation attempts to finish the hybrid Al/SiC/B4C MMCs using magnetic abrasive flow machining (MAFM) process. The Taguchi L27 orthogonal array is designed for experimentation to study the impact of input factors on change in surface roughness (ΔRa), material removal rate (MRR) and surface morphology. Magnetic flux density (Mf), workpiece material (Wp), mesh number (M), concentration of abrasives (C), extrusion pressure (Ep) and number of cycles (N) are considered as the process variables. Analysis of means of data and ANOVA is employed to find the impact of the process factors on MRR and ΔRa. The optimal level of process factors for achieving better MRR has been obtained as magnetic flux density (Mf) = 0.45 Tesla, workpiece material (Wp) = 3, mesh number (M) = 150, concentration of abrasives (C) = 50, extrusion pressure (Ep) = 7 Mpa and number of cycles (N) = 200. Moreover, the optimal level of process parameters for achieving better ΔRa has been obtained as magnetic flux density (Mf) = 0.45 Tesla, workpiece material (Wp) = 2, mesh number (M) = 220, concentration of abrasives (C) = 50, extrusion pressure (Ep) = 7 Mpa and number of cycles (N) = 100. It has been observed that extrusion pressure and magnetic flux density are the most significant variables in regard to MRR and ΔRa. The surface morphology of finished and unfinished test specimens depicted the MAFM process to be very effective in finishing hybrid Al/SiC/B4C MMCs surfaces. Keywords: MAFM, Al / SiC / B4C - MMCs, MRR, ΔRa, SEM, ANOVA, Taguchi method
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