Investigations of Surface roughness, Power Consumption, MRR and Tool wear while turning hybrid composites

Abstract The key issues of any industry globally, are longevity and reliability which led to an increased demand for minimum energy consumption, maximum metal removal rate, good surface finish and tool wear. The present paper outlines an experimental study while turning unreinforced and Al/SiC/RHA hybrid composite with varying reinforcements in equal proportions at different turning conditions. Cutting forces, surface roughness, power consumption, metal removal rate are analyzed through graphical representations. The influence of cutting speed, feed, depth of cut and reinforcement on the tool wear and built-up edge is also analyzed. Better surface finish is obvious at higher cutting speed without built up edge (BUE). Porosity is observed to be the dominant factor for the reduction of power consumption. Experimental results confined that as the reinforcement increases the metal removal rate (MRR) decreases. Plastic deformation plays a vital role in the minimization of both flank wear and crater wear. The worn out insert is examined and analyzed under Optical microscope (OLYMPUS) and the results are discussed.