Performance evaluation of machine tap for tapping Al6061-T6 Aluminium alloy

The present study deals with tapping of Al6061-T6 alloy specimen in dry condition. The study aims at determining the progressive wear of M8 HSS machine tap dueto machining. The charecterisation of the specimen was done by conducting hardness and tensile test. The tappingtool experiments wereconducted on a radial drilling machine using an automatic tapping attachment. Kistler drilling tool dynamometer was used to record the thrust and torque during tapping. The progressive wear of the tool was evaluated by weight loss method. From the experimental study it was observed that wear in the tap was considerably less due to soft nature of the work piece material Al6061 T6 alloy. During tapping operation, the thrust force and torque found to increase with tool wear due to progressive wear of machine tap.