Objectives: Surface finish plays an essential role in every machining process. The current study mainly focuses on multiple hardened EN31 alloy steel, using various machining parameters and optimizing using regression, ANN, and RSM. Methods: The experimentation was performed using a commercial CNC machine and a surface roughness tester, using machining parameters such as tool nose radius (re), cutting speed (v), feed (f), depth of cut (d), and hardness (H) of the material ranging from 0.4 to 1.2 mm, 160 to 260 m/min, 0.1 to 0.20 mm/rev, 0.05 to 0.15 mm, and 45 to 49 HRC, respectively. Findings: The study revealed that cutting speed and feed rate significantly affect the surface finish, followed by tool nose radius. With the help of optimization techniques, the surface roughness predicted through RSM was 99.91%, followed by Regression and ANN. The contour plot predicts Ra using the best possible combinations of machining parameters. Novelty: The current research compares the surface finish results of multiple hardened EN31 alloy steels predicted through regression, RSM, and ANN with experimental values. The generated correlations will undoubtedly assist researchers in determining surface finish for the defined ranges of machining parameters. Keywords: Hard Turning, Coated Carbide, EN31 Steel, Surface Roughness, Optimization, RSM
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