Selected Properties of the Surface Layer of C45 Steel Samples after Slide Burnishing.

This paper presents the experimental results of a study investigating the impact of the machining fluid type, the variable factor, used in slide burnishing on 2D and 3D surface roughness; surface topography; Abbott-Firestone curve shape; microhardness; and SFE (surface free energy). In the experiment, pre-ground, ringed samples of C45 steel were used. The results showed an over eight-fold decrease in the value of the Ra (arithmetical mean deviation) parameter and over a five-fold decrease in the Rt (total height of profile) parameter in relation to their values after grinding. The parameters Rpk (reduced peak height), Rk (core roughness depth), and Rvk (reduced valley depth) were also reduced. The Abbott-Firestone curve after slide burnishing changed its angle of inclination (it was more flattened), and the material ratio Smr increased. The reduction in the Rpk and Rk parameters and increased material ratio will most likely contribute to restoring the functionality of these surfaces (increased resistance to abrasive wear). After slide burnishing, the maximum 25% increase in microhardness was obtained compared to the value after grinding, while the layer thickness was 20 µm. The surface energy of elements subjected to slide burnishing using various machining fluids slightly increased, or its value was close to that of the ground surface. The most favourable properties of the surface layer in terms of mating between two elements were obtained for a part that was slide-burnished with a mixture of oil + polymethyl methacrylate (PMM) + molybdenum disulphide (MoS2).

Adaptation of Fracture Mechanics Methods for Quality Assessment of Tungsten Carbide Cutting Inserts.

Tungsten carbide (WC) is well known as one of the hardest materials widely used in machining, cutting and drilling, especially for cutting tools production. Knowing fracture toughness grants the opportunity to prevent catastrophic wear of a tool. Moreover, fracture toughness of WC-based materials may vary because of different material compositions, as well as a different way of production. Hence, each material should be treated individually. In this paper, SM25T (HW) tungsten carbide (HW-uncoated grade, TNMR 401060 SM25T, manufactured by Baildonit company, Katowice, Poland) was taken into consideration. Sintered carbides-designated as S-are designed to be applied for machining steel, cast steel and malleable cast iron. Fracture mechanics methods were adapted to make a quality assessment of WC cutting inserts. Both quasi-statical three-point bending tests, as well as Charpy dynamic impact tests, were performed to calculate static and dynamic fracture toughness (KIC and KID, respectively). In addition, a special emphasis was placed on the microscopic analysis of fracture surfaces after impact tests to discuss material irregularities, such as porosity, cracks and so-called "river patterns". There is a lack of scientific works in this field of study. However, cutting engineers are interested in obtaining the experimental results of that kind. Although there are a few standardized methods that may be used to determine fracture toughness of hard metals, none of them is expected to be the most reliable. Moreover, there is a lack of scientific works in the field of determining static and dynamic fracture toughness of WC by the presented method. The proposed examination solution can be then successfully used to calculate toughness properties of WC-based materials, as the results obtained seem to be with a good agreement with other works.

Measurements of Forces and Selected Surface Layer Properties of AW-7075 Aluminum Alloy Used in the Aviation Industry after Abrasive Machining.

Measurements of forces during machining, especially thin-walled structures typical of the aviation industry, are important in the aspect of instability caused by vibration. One of the last stages of manufacturing by machining is the finishing treatment and deburring of the product's edges. Brushes with ceramic fibres are often employed in deburring, especially for large-sized elements specific to the aviation industry due to the possibility of automatic machining directly on machining centres. This study set out to analyse the effect of variable brushing conditions on axial forces and the selected surface layer properties of AW-7075 aluminium alloy. Experimental studies have examined factors such as surface roughness and topography, axial cutting force in ceramic brush treatment and surface free energy in the aspect of adhesive joints. The tested variable process parameters were the fibre material and the adjustment sleeve spring stiffness. Based on the tests, it was found that the axial force applied by the brush was more strongly connected with the spring stiffness rather than the type of bristle. For most cases, an increase in the value of free surface energy after brushing was observed compared to the initial machining which was milling.

Modification of Ti6Al4V Titanium Alloy Surface Layer in the Ozone Atmosphere.

The paper reports the results of a study on the Ti6Al4V titanium alloy involving the XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) photoelectron spectroscopy method. The position of bands in the viewing spectrum serves as a basis for the qualitative identification of atoms forming the surface layer, while their intensity is used to calculate the aggregate concentration of these atoms in the analyzed layer. High-resolution spectra are used to determine the type of chemical bonds based on characteristic numerical values of the chemical shift. The paper also presents the 3D results of surface roughness measurements obtained from optical profiling, as well as the results of energy state measurements of the Ti6Al4V titanium alloy surface layer after ozone treatment. It was shown that the ozone treatment of the Ti6Al4V titanium alloy removes carbon and increases concentrations of Ti and V ions at higher oxidation states at the expense of metal atoms and lower valence ions. The modification of the surface layer in ozone atmosphere caused a 30% increase in the Ti element concentration in the surface layer compared to the samples prior to ozone treatment. The carbon removal rate from the Ti6Al4V titanium alloy samples amounted to 35%, and a 13% increase was noted in oxides. The tests proved that the value of the surface free energy of the Ti6Al4V titanium alloy increased as a result of ozone treatment. The highest increase in the surface free energy was observed for Variant 4 samples, and amounted to 17% compared to the untreated samples, while the lowest increase was equal to 14%. For the analyzed data, the maximum value of standard deviation was 0.99 [mJ/m2].

Trochoidal Milling and Neural Networks Simulation of Magnesium Alloys.

This paper set out to investigate the effect of cutting speed vc and trochoidal step str modification on selected machinability parameters (the cutting force components and vibration). In addition, for a more detailed analysis, selected surface roughness parameters were investigated. The research was carried out for two grades of magnesium alloys-AZ91D and AZ31-and aimed to determine stable machining parameters and to investigate the dynamics of the milling process, i.e., the resulting change in the cutting force components and in vibration. The tests were performed for the specified range of cutting parameters: vc = 400-1200 m/min and str = 5-30%. The results demonstrate a significant effect of cutting data modification on the parameter under scrutiny-the increase in vc resulted in the reduction of the cutting force components and the displacement and level of vibration recorded in tests. Selected cutting parameters were modelled by means of Statistica Artificial Neural Networks (Radial Basis Function and Multilayered Perceptron), which, furthermore, confirmed the suitability of neural networks as a tool for prediction of the cutting force and vibration in milling of magnesium alloys.

Effect of the AWJM Method on the Machined Surface Layer of AZ91D Magnesium Alloy and Simulation of Roughness Parameters Using Neural Networks.

This paper investigates the effect of change of the abrasive flow rate and the jet feed on the effectiveness of machining of AZ91D casting magnesium alloy. The evaluation of the state of the workpiece surface was based on surface and area roughness parameters (2D and 3D), which provided data on: irregularities formed on the workpiece edge surface (water jet exit), the surface quality after cutting, the workpiece surface chamfering, microhardness of the machined surface, and of specimen cross-sections (along the water jet impact). The process was tested for two parameter settings: abrasive flow rate 50 at cutting speed vf = 5⁻140 mm/min, and abrasive flow rate 100% (0.5 kg/min) at vf = 5⁻180 mm/min. The results demonstrate a significant effect of the abrasive flow rate and the jet feed velocity on the quality of machined surface (surface roughness and irregularities). In addition, selected 2D surface roughness parameters were modelled using artificial neural networks (radial basis function and multi-layered perceptron). It has been shown that neural networks are a suitable tool for prediction of surface roughness parameters in abrasive water jet machining (AWJM).