Investigation on sustainable machining characteristics of tools with serrated cutting edges in face milling of AISI 304 Stainless Steel

Abstract

Stainless steel is a ferrous-based difficult-to-cut material that is widely used in aerospace, automobile, food processing, and chemical industries due to its superior strength, high fracture toughness, and exceptional corrosion resistance. Machining of these materials requires a rigid machine setup with high power capabilities and tools with outstanding properties. The high strength of the material also consumes high machining power and specific cutting energy which is non-eco-friendly. Besides, the low thermal conductivity and work hardening behavior compounds the complexity which prevents the tools from operating at higher parameters. However, tools with serrated cutting edges can help in overcoming the machining-related challenges besides providing a sustainable solution by reducing energy consumption. Hence, the objective of the study is to evaluate the machinability of AISI 304 stainless steel material (SS304) using face milling inserts with linear (conventional) and serrated cutting edges with focus on key sustainable machining characteristics like machining power, specific cutting energy, and forces. Tools with serrated cutting edges were manufactured for the study by the wire-cut Electric Discharge Machining (wire-EDM) technique. The study reveals that an 8 to 17% reduction in machining power, specific cutting energy, and forces can be obtained by using tools with serrated cutting edge.