Investigating the effects of trochoidal milling parameters on the waviness and surface roughness of P20 alloy steel slots: Analytical and Experimental

Abstract

Abstract This paper aims to study, analytically and experimentally, the effects of trochoidal milling parameters on the waviness and the surface roughness of P20 alloy steel slots. The considered process parameters in this paper are the axial depth of cut, trochoidal step, and feed rate, in addition to the slot width. A geometrical analytical model of the tool cutting edges imprints has been developed to explain the of waviness and surface roughness at the slot walls and bottom. Results of this model proved that increasing the slot width significantly reduces the slot walls waviness, while increasing the feed rate or the trochoidal step increases the waviness of the slot left and right walls respectively. The experimental results proved that the axial depth of cut has not a significant effect on the slot walls waviness, and the tool edges imprints have the greatest effect on the bottom surface roughness. The surface roughness of the slot bottom decreases from left to right. Moreover, increasing the feed rate significantly increased the bottom surface roughness by 25%, 29%, and 29% at the left wall, middle, and right wall of the machined slot, respectively. However, increasing the axial depth of cut, significantly increased the bottom surface roughness only at the left wall and the middle of the machined slot by 11% and 19%, respectively. Experimental and analytical results of waviness and surface roughness were in good agreements which verifies the potential of using the developed model to predict the slot surface texture during circular trochoidal milling.