A Fuzzy Logic based Model to Predict MRR in Flashing Operation of Precision Steel Ball Manufacturing Process

Abstract

Bearing balls are special highly spherical and smooth balls, most commonly used in ball bearings. Applications of Steel balls are widely in critical aeronautical bearings, guidance system balls for space and military applications, precision valves, automotive bearings and other applications where higher precision & smoothness is required. To investigate the effect of various input parameters during flashing operation experiments are performed. Here input variables are Pressure between two plates, No. of Grooves in plates & RPM of Ring Plate. Each factor varies at two levels; the design is 23 factorial design which requires 8 runs to complete all the possible combinations. Here MRR is consider as response. A fuzzy model is developed to predict the MRR in context of these input parameters. Fuzzy model uses fuzzy expert rules, triangular membership function and centroid area method for defuzzyfication process using MATLAB fuzzy logic tool box. The result shows minimum error is 1.2% and maximum error is 9.2% of the fuzzy model, it shows that the fuzzy model can effectively predict the MRR for decided range of input parameters.