Impact of process parameters on surface roughness in elastomer machining

Surface roughness is the most noticeable factor in machining of any material. The ability of a machining process is largely dependent on surface roughness. This paper presents the study on impact of process parameters on surface roughness using response surface methodology. This procedure eliminates the need for repeated experiments, time and conserves the material by the conventional procedure. The experiment involves turning of elastomer under cryogenic condition using high speed steel cutting tool with different back rake angle. A series of turning experiments under different Rake angle, Cutting speed, Feed and constant Depth of cut has been conducted on surface roughness under cryogenic condition using PSG A141 lathe (2.2 KW). The average surface roughness values for each of the trials were measured and recorded using Taylor Hobson manufactured instrument Surtronic 3 plus (112/1590). Experiments are conducted using standard response surface methodology design called central composite design. A second order response surface model was developed for surface roughness. The results identify the impact of factors to minimize the surface roughness. The confirmation results demonstrate the practicability and effectiveness of the proposed approach.