The evaluation of the effects of control factors on surface roughness in the drilling of Waspaloy superalloy

In this study, the effects of cutting tool type (Ct), cutting speed (Vc), feed rate (f) and drill bit angle (A) on the average surface roughness (Ra) were investigated in the drilling of Waspaloy superalloy with coated and uncoated solid carbide drills. Experimental studies were performed in the orthogonal array of L18 (21 × 33) by using Taguchi method. A second order predictive equation was developed with Linear Regression Analysis and coefficient of correlation for Ra calculated as R2 = 96.9%. The most effective parameters on Ra were determined as A, f, Vc and Ct with 49.44%, 15.0%, 14.45% and 13.47% contribution ratios, respectively. Ra surface roughness values increased with the increasing tool wear. In this study, the chip formation and tool wear were also evaluated. Three types chip formation such as spiral chip, string chip and short chip were observed in the drilling of Waspaloy with solid carbide drills.