Effect of material removal rate on machining distortion of thin-wall thin-floor components

Abstract

Monolithic thin-wall thin-floor components used in aircraft industries are produced from prismatic blocks, removing approximately 90 to 95 % of the material on CNC machines. To increase efficiency and productivity during machining these components, more and more material has to be removed in same time. The direct indicator for efficient cutting is material removal rate. Material removal rate is the volume of material removed per minute. Increasing the cutting parameters i.e., feed, speed, depth of cut and width of cut during machining will increase material removal rate. One of the biggest challenges in machining these thin-wall thin-floor components at higher material removal rates is the distortion due to the poor rigidity of the part. It is very important to understand the effect of the material removal rate on the distortion during machining these thin-wall thin-floor components at different cutting parameters for efficient cutting. So, in this study, machining experiments were performed using two level full factorial experimental design at all combinations of feed, speed, depth of cut and width of cut on a representative thin-wall thin-floor part made of aluminium alloy 2014 to understand the effect of MRR on distortion and find a strategy for selection of better cutting parameters which lead to minimum distortion at increased material removal rates.