Influence of rake angle on surface integrity and fatigue performance of machined surfaces

This study investigates the influence of the rake angle on the surface integrity and fatigue performance of hard machined surfaces. The results demonstrate that a higher rake angle induces more compressive residual stresses and a more softened layer. Changing the rake angle was found to increase the crack initiation life up to 104% and crack propagation life up to 256%. Consequently, changing the rake angle increased the fatigue life up to 224%. The fatigue tests demonstrated that the rake angle has a significant influence on the fatigue life and that the effect is further increased if the loading is reduced.