Int. Journal of Applied Sciences and Engineering Research, Vol. 4, Issue 1, 2015 www.ijaser.

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Research article ISSN 2277 – 9442

Effect of machining parameters on surface roughness, material

removal rate and roundness error during the wet turning of
Ti-6Al-4V alloy
Aswathy V G1, Rajeev N2, Vijayan K3
1,2-
Department of Mechanical Engineering, NSS College of Engineering, Palakkad, Kerala 678008, India
3- ISRO, Inertial system unit, Thiruvananthapuram

DOI: 10.6088/ijaser.04001

Abstract: Turning process is one of the most fundamental machining processes used in the manufacturing
industry. The process of turning is influenced by many factors such as cutting velocity, feed rate, depth of
cut, geometry of cutting tool, and cutting conditions etc., to name a few. In machining operations,
achieving the desired surface quality of the machined product is really a challenging job. This is due to the
fact that quality are highly influenced by process parameters directly or indirectly. However, the extent of
significant influence of the process parameters are different for different responses. The main objective of
this work is to investigate the effects of machining parameters, especially tool nose radius, on surface
finish, Material Removal Rate (MRR) and Roundness error during the wet turning of Ti-6Al-4V. The
selection of Ti-6Al-4V is due to the reason that it offers a unique combination of high strength, light weight
and corrosion resistance which have made it an important material in aerospace applications. Despite its
advantages the machinability of Ti-6Al-4V possesses many challenges such as its low thermal conductivity
and work hardening effect reduces the tool life and quality of the product. The proposed experimental
study focuses on the turning process of Ti-6Al-4V using Chemical vapour deposition (CVD) coated
carbide tools. Four different parameters are chosen as process variables: cutting speed, feed rate, depth of
cut and tool nose radius. In this study analysis is done based on Taguchi method of optimization and the
experimental design and further analysis carried out with the help of statistical software Minitab16.The
results obtained from the analysis is validated with mathematical software PYTHON.

Key words: Wet turning; Titanium alloy; S/N ratio analysis; PYTHON; minitab 16

1. Introduction

Machining is one of the manufacturing processes in which the dimensions, shape or surface properties of
machined parts are changed by removing the excess material. Therefore, machining is relatively an
expensive process that should be specified only when high accuracy and good surface finish are required.
The machining operation is also a chip formation process which is accomplished through the relative
motion of a tool and work piece. Among the many machining operations available, turning the most
fundamental machining operation that produces cylindrical parts. It is the removal of material from the
outer diameter of a rotating cylindrical work piece. The turning process is carried out on a lathe machine
and the automatic turning process is performed by Computer numerical control (CNC) lathe machine. The
three primary factors in any basic turning operation are cutting speed, feed, and depth of cut. Other factors
which further influences the machining are type of material and tool geometry etc. Machining process of
titanium alloys are very difficult due to its low thermal conductivity, relatively low modulus of elasticity
—————————————
*Corresponding author (e-mail: aswathyvg24@gmail.com) 1
Received on December , 2014; Published on February, 2015
 Effect of machining parameters on surface roughness, material removal rate and roundness error during the wet turning of
Ti-6Al-4V alloy

and high chemical reactivity with tool materials .However, it offers unique combination of high strength,
light weight and corrosion resistance which have made it an important material in aerospace and
biomedical applications (Arularasan et al ,2014).

Nowadays manufacturing industries are concerned with dimensional accuracy and surface finish. In
today’s highly competitive market, the quality of manufactured products must be assured in all
manufacturing stages. This has increased the demand for efficient manufacturing processes with optimum
manufacturing cost and high quality .Therefore, the proper selection of cutting tool and process parameters
is essential to achieve the desired quality of surface finish. Optimization leads to maximize the
performance of the system. Therefore, the present study aims at optimization in turning of Ti6Al4V alloy
using Taguchi method of analysis.

2. Literature review

Many researchers around the globe have conducted studies on the optimization of various parameters and
their effects on different performance measures in turning process. Ersan Aslan et al (2006) conducted an
optimization study by machining a hardened AISI 4140 grade (63 HRC) steel on a lathe by using Al2O3 +
TiCN coated ceramic inserts. They found that Al2O3-based ceramics are required for cutting tools in
machining hard steels during wear resistance and high hardness. They ensured optimization in their
experimental studies by using the Taguchi method. The experimental parameters chosen were: three
different cutting speeds, feed rates and depths of cut. Flank wear and surface roughness were chosen as
criteria for performance measures. From the results obtained a regression model has been developed for
surface roughness and flank wear.They concluded that cutting speed is the only the significant factor
influencing the tool wear with the help of ANOVA.

Venkata Ramana et al (2012) investigated the performance evaluation and optimization of process
parameters in turning of Ti-6Al-4V alloy with different coolant conditions using Taguchi design of
experiments methodology on surface roughness, by uncoated carbide tool. The results have been compared
among dry, flooded with servo cut oil and water and flooded with synthetic oil coolant conditions. From
the experimental investigations, the cutting performance on Ti-6Al-4V alloy with synthetic oil is found to
be better when compared to dry and servo cut oil and water in reducing surface roughness. Mahendra and
Neeraj (2012), conducted a turning experiment on EN 24 alloy steel using TiN coated tungsten carbide
inserts at three different cutting speeds, depth of cut, feed, Nose radius and cutting environment. The
optimum cutting condition was determined by using the statistical methods of signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio
and the significance of cutting parameters on surface roughness and material removal rate in turning of En
24 alloy steel were evaluated by the analysis of variance (ANOVA).They found that nose radius and
cutting environment are the most significant factors for both surface roughness and MRR.

Taguchi Approach of optimization is also carried out by Prabhat kumar sinha (2013) in CNC Turning.
The machining was done with cermet inserts. He observed that the cutting velocity is the key factor to
reduce dimensional tolerances followed by feed rate and depth of cut. Kanase and Jadhav D B (2013) used
Taguchi method for optimizing the cutting parameters such as Cutting speed, Feed rate and Depth of cut
in turning operations. They carried out the experiment using different cutting tools like Carbide ,Ceramic
and CBN Tools for different grades of Steel materials. They found that spindle speed and tool grade are the

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Int. Journal of Applied Sciences and Engineering Research, Vol. 4, No. 1, 2015
 Effect of machining parameters on surface roughness, material removal rate and roundness error during the wet turning of
Ti-6Al-4V alloy

significant factors for the surface roughness in turning and also their result showed that CBN tools gives
better surface finish compare to ceramic and carbide tools at all speeds, feeds and depth of cut.

Vikas Upadhyay et al. (2012) developed the prediction model for surface roughness in turning operation of
Ti–6Al–4V alloy with cemented carbide inserts. The regression model was developed by including cutting
parameters (cutting speed ,feed, depth of cut) and vibrations along three chosen axes for in-process surface
roughness prediction system.Virender and Tasmeem (2013),investigated the significance of cutting
parameters and insert type on surface roughness .Statistical methods of signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio and
analysis of variance (ANOVA)were performed in his study.

Rishu Gupta and Ashutosh Diwedi (2014) investigated the material removal rate and surface roughness in
the turning of Aluminium Alloy 6061 by carbide inserts was in terms of main cutting parameters such as
cutting speed, feed rate, depth of cut in addition to tool nose radius, using a statistical approach. An
orthogonal array, Signal-to-Noise ratio and Analysis of Variance were employed to find out the effective
cutting parameters and nose radius on the surface roughness. The obtained results indicated that the Feed
and nose radius are the most significant factor for optimization of Surface roughness (Ra). Material
removal rate (MRR) is affected by the parameter depth of cut followed by the nose radius. M Anthony and
R Vinayagamoorthy (2014) addressed the fuzzy inference System for prediction during precision turning of
Ti-6al-4v using three different nose radius of PVD coated tools. Arumugam and Pillai Hariharan, 2014 also
conducted a similar experiment and observed similar results. However, they proposed grey relational
analysis for consolidating the results.

After a thorough literature survey, we found that a large number of research works have taken input
parameter as speed, feed and depth of cut individually or as a combination. Only few researchers have
included input parameters such as nose radius and cutting environment. Also from the above studies we
observed that, there is a dearth research work probing a impact of nose radius as an input parameter on
Surface roughness. But there are relatively few studies which included all the relevant factors influencing
the output parameters. Therefore the proposed work will fill this research gap by including additional input
parameter (Nose radius) and probing the effect of these parameters on Surface roughness, Material removal
rate and Roundness error of a Titanium alloy.

3. Objectives and scope

The primary objective of the study is to investigate the influence of various cutting parameters on output
parameters such as surface roughness, material removal rate and roundness error in the wet turning process
of Ti-6Al-4V and to evaluate the optimum level of selected parameters for minimum surface roughness,
Roundness error and Maximum Material Removal Rate using Taguchi method. The study also aims at
validating the results using mathematical software PYTHON. The scope the study lies in the fact that
different process parameters affect differently in each performance measures. In this advanced
manufacturing world looks for good surface finish with low manufacturing cost and high productivity.
Ti-6Al-4V is the most important alloy used in many special applications.
.
4. Experimental procedure

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 Effect of machining parameters on surface roughness, material removal rate and roundness error during the wet turning of
Ti-6Al-4V alloy

The work material used for the experimentation is Ti-6Al-4V. Schaublin 130-CNC lathe is used for the
experiment. Experimental setup is shown in the Figure 1. Multi layer CVD coated carbide inserts (Ti (C, N)
+Al2O3) of 0.1mm; 0.4mm and 0.5mm nose radius are used for this study. Surface roughness measured
with the help of Taylor/Hobson Precision Form Talysurf. Digital micrometer is used for the measurement
of diameter for calculating the Material removal rate. Taylor/Hobson Precision Form Talyrond 265L is
used for the measurement of Roundness error. Taguchi’s OA of L27 is chosen for this work. MINITAB 16
and PYTHON software are used for analysis and calculations.

Figure 1: Image showing the experimental Setup

4.1 Range of cutting conditions investigated

Using the tool insert manufacturer’s guidelines and experienced personal’s knowledge, a cutting range was
selected .The cutting parameters levels were selected based on tool material and work-piece material and
by studying different research papers. Wet turning is carried out because the work material Ti-6Al-4V have
low thermal conductivity. Cutting conditions employed in the machining trials are listed in Table 1.
Table 1: Table showing the cutting parameter levels
Levels Velocity (m/min) Feed (mm/rev) DOC (mm) Nose radius (mm)
Level 1 50 0.010 0.02 0.1
Level 2 60 0.020 0.035 0.4
Level 3 70 0.030 0.05 0.5

4.2 Data collection

Cylindrical work piece of Ti6Al4V having 37.9 mm diameter and length of 125 mm is initially prepared. It
is fixed on the chuck of the CNC Lathe. Programme is entered and machining carried out. After the
machining process, Surface roughness, Diameter (for Material Removal Rate) and Roundness error are
measured. Observations are given in the Table 2.
Table 2: Table showing the experimental observations
Roundness
Depth Nose Ra Final MRR
Trial Velocity Feed Error
of cut radius Diameter
No. m/min mm/rev
mm Mm Mm

1 50 0.010 0.02 0.1 0.2501 37.866 8.4961 1.54

2 50 0.010 0.02 0.1 0.2486 37.865 8.7460 1.56
3 50 0.010 0.02 0.1 0.2600 37.866 8.4961 1.60

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 Effect of machining parameters on surface roughness, material removal rate and roundness error during the wet turning of
Ti-6Al-4V alloy

4 50 0.020 0.035 0.4 0.3377 37.835 32.4721 3.29

5 50 0.020 0.035 0.4 0.3218 37.836 31.9730 3.31
6 50 0.020 0.035 0.4 0.3196 37.834 32.9713 3.28
7 50 0.030 0.05 0.5 0.4306 37.813 65.1751 2.30
8 50 0.030 0.05 0.5 0.4438 37.813 65.1751 2.28
9 50 0.030 0.05 0.5 0.4282 37.812 65.9234 2.29
10 60 0.010 0.035 0.5 0.1856 37.839 18.4304 1.73
11 60 0.010 0.035 0.5 0.1898 37.840 17.9857 1.76
12 60 0.010 0.035 0.5 0.1782 37.840 17.9857 1.74
13 60 0.020 0.05 0.1 0.4001 37.810 53.9358 2.14
14 60 0.020 0.05 0.1 0.4120 37.808 55.1330 2.19
15 60 0.020 0.05 0.1 0.4134 37.807 55.7315 2.16
16 60 0.030 0.02 0.4 0.4923 37.868 28.7878 2.93
17 60 0.030 0.02 0.4 0.4989 37.869 27.8886 2.98
18 60 0.030 0.02 0.4 0.5001 37.869 27.8886 2.95
19 70 0.010 0.05 0.4 0.2000 37.800 34.9538 2.77
20 70 0.010 0.05 0.4 0.2006 37.801 34.6047 2.79
21 70 0.010 0.05 0.4 0.2112 37.800 34.9538 2.73
22 70 0.020 0.02 0.5 0.2699 37.862 25.8874 1.42
23 70 0.020 0.02 0.5 0.2769 37.864 25.1880 1.45
24 70 0.020 0.02 0.5 0.2961 37.864 25.1880 1.39
25 70 0.030 0.035 0.1 0.5790 37.833 70.2878 2.37
26 70 0.030 0.035 0.1 0.5901 37.832 71.3360 2.33
27 70 0.030 0.035 0.1 0.5961 37.833 70.2878 2.41

4.3 Data analysis

In this work, surface roughness inspection is carried out using the Taylor/Hobson Precision Form Talysurf.
It is a stylus based instrument. Material Removal Rate (MRR) has been calcuted from the difference in
diameter of workpiece before and after the experiment. Also the roundness error measurement is carried
out using the Taylor/Hobson Precision Form Talyrond 265 L. The study used Taguchi method of
analysis .Based on the experimental data S/N Ratios are found for each response. For all surface roughness
and roundness error parameters “Lower the better “criterion and for material removal rate “Higher the
better” criterion has been selected. S/N Ratio of responses are given in the Table 3 below. The S/N ratio for
each parameter level is calculated by averaging the S/N ratios obtained when the parameter is maintained

at that level. S/N Ratios were calculated using the equations.

for Lower the better and Higher the better respectively. The optimal

combinations levels of machining parameters are shown in Tables 4, 5, 6 and Mean S/N Ratio vs
Performance measures graphs respectively.

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Effect of machining parameters on surface roughness, material removal rate and roundness error during the wet turning of
Ti-6Al-4V alloy

Table 3: Table showing the S/N Ratios of performance measures

Trial S/N Ratio of S/N Ratio of S/N Ratio of
Combinations
No. Surface Roughness MRR Roundness error

1 12.0377 18.5843 -3.7504

2 12.0899 18.8361 -3.8625

3 11.7005 18.5843 -4.0824

4 9.4294 30.2302 -10.3439

5 9.8483 30.0957 -10.3966

6 9.9079 30.3627 -10.3175

7 7.3185 36.2816 -7.2346

8 7.0563 36.2816 -7.1587

9 7.3671 36.3808 -7.1967

10 14.6284 25.3106 -4.7609

11 14.4341 25.0985 -4.9103

12 14.9818 25.0985 -4.8109

13 7.9566 34.6375 -6.6083

14 7.7020 34.8282 -6.8089

15 7.6726 34.9220 -6.6891

16 6.1554 29.1841 -9.3374

17 6.0398 28.9085 -9.4843

18 6.0206 28.9085 -9.3964

19 13.9794 30.8699 -8.8496

20 13.9534 30.7827 -8.9121

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 Effect of machining parameters on surface roughness, material removal rate and roundness error during the wet turning of
Ti-6Al-4V alloy

21 13.5061 30.8699 -8.7233

22 11.3759 28.2618 -3.0458

23 11.1755 28.0239 -3.2274

24 10.5712 28.0239 -2.8603

25 4.7464 36.9376 -7.4950

26 4.5815 37.0662 -7.3471

27 4.4936 36.9376 -7.6403

Table 4: Table showing the Data mean of S/N Ratio of Surface Roughness
Factors
Levels
Velocity Feed DOC Nose Radius
1 9.6395 13.4790 9.6852 8.1090
2 9.5101 9.5155 9.6724 9.8711
3 9.8203 5.9755 9.6124 10.9899
Optimum Level 3 1 1 3
Variation 0.3102 7.5035 0.0728 2.8809
Rank 3 1 4 2

Main Effects Plot for SN ratios

Data Means

V elocit y Feed
14

12

10
Mean of SN ratios

8
6
1 2 3 1 2 3
DOC Nose Radius
14
12

10

8
6
1 2 3 1 2 3
Signal-to-noise: Smaller is better

Figure 2: Image showing the main effect plot for S/N Ratios of Surface Roughness vs Performance
measures

Table 4 and Figure 2 shows the optimum level of process parameters to achieve high surface finish or low
surface roughness. Therefore, the optimal combination to get low value of surface roughness (Ra) is Level
3-Level 1-Level 1- Level 3 within the tested range.

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 Effect of machining parameters on surface roughness, material removal rate and roundness error during the wet turning of
Ti-6Al-4V alloy

Table 5: Table showing the data means of S/N Ratio of Material removal rate
Factors
Levels
Velocity Feed DOC Nose Radius
1 28.4041 24.8928 25.2573 30.1482
2 29.6552 31.0429 30.7931 30.0236
3 31.9748 34.0985 33.9838 29.8624
Optimum
3 3 3 1
Level
Variation 3.5707 9.2057 8.7265 0.2858
Rank 3 1 2 4

M a in Effe cts P lot for S N r a tios

Da ta M e a ns

Ve lo city Feed
3 5. 0

3 2. 5

3 0. 0
Mean of SN ratios

2 7. 5

2 5. 0
1 2 3 1 2 3
DO C Nose R a d ius
3 5. 0

3 2. 5

3 0. 0

2 7. 5

2 5. 0
1 2 3 1 2 3

S igna l-to -no ise : La rge r is be tte r

Figure 3: Image showing the main effect plot for S/N Ratios of MRR vs Performance
Measures

Table 5 shows the optimum level of process parameters to achieve high material removal rate. Therefore,
the optimal combination to get maximum value of material removal rate is Level 3- Level 3- Level 3-
Level 1 within the tested range.

Table 6: Table showing the data means of S/N Ratio of Roundness error
Factors
Levels
Velocity Feed DOC Nose Radius
1 -7.1493 -5.8514 -5.4497 -6.0316
2 -6.9785 -6.6998 -7.5581 -9.5290
3 -6.4557 -8.0323 -7.5757 -5.0228
Optimum
3 1 1 3
Level
Variation 0.6936 2.1809 2.1260 4.5062
Rank 4 2 3 1

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 Effect of machining parameters on surface roughness, material removal rate and roundness error during the wet turning of
Ti-6Al-4V alloy

M a i n E f f e c ts P l o t f o r S N r a t i o s
D a ta M e a n s
V e lo c it y Fe e d
-5
-6
-7

Mean of SN ratios
-8
-9

1 2 3 1 2 3
DO C N o se R a d iu s
-5
-6
-7
-8
-9

1 2 3 1 2 3
S ig n a l- to - n o is e : S m a lle r is b e tte r

Figure 4: Image showing the main effect Plot for S/N Ratios of Roundness error vs Performance measures

Table 6 shows the optimum level of process parameters to achieve low Roundness error. Therefore, the
optimal combination to get low value of Roundness error is Level 3- Level 1-Level 1- Level 3 within the
tested range. All the above calculations are validated by the software “PYTHON”. A confirmatory test may
be conducted to choose the optimum parametric combinations and to predict the enhancement of quality
characteristics. The experiment may be conducted again in the optimal level

for minimum surface roughness, maximum material removal rate and

minimum roundness error respectively in Ti-6Al-4V turning process. Thus any improvement in
performance characteristics will be investigated by conducting confirmatory test.

5. Conclusions

This paper presents research work of various cutting parameters affecting the surface roughness, Material
Removal Rate and Roundness error in wet turning of Ti-6Al-4V alloy using CVD coated carbide tools .The
findings of this study indicate that
1. For maximum surface finish the optimal parametric combination is cutting velocity = 70m/min.,
feed =0.010mm/rev,Depth of cut =0.02 and Nose radius =0.5.
2. For maximum Material Removal Rate the optimal parametric combination is cutting velocity =
70m/min., feed =0.030mm/rev ,Depth of cut =0.05 and Nose radius =0.1.
3. For minimum Roundness error the optimal parametric combination is cutting velocity =
70m/min., feed =0.010mm/rev , Depth of cut =0.02 and Nose radius =0.5.
An orthogonal array with taguchi analysis was used to optimize the performance characteristics in the
turning operation of Ti6Al4V.The results revealed the effect of nose radius, feed, velocity and depth of cut
seems to influence the output parameters. Future research should be aimed at exploring the combined
effect of the selected output parameters employing Grey relational analysis.

6. References

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When Turning Hardened AISI 4140 Steel (63 HRC) With Mixed Ceramic Tool,
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Ti-6Al-4V alloy

2. M.Venkata Ramana, A Venkata Vishnu, G Krishna Rao ,D Hanumantha Rao ,2012.

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