Machinability investigation of gray cast iron in turning with ceramics and CBN tools: Modeling and optimization using desirability function approach

The purpose of this research is to assess the performance of CBN and ceramic tools during the dry turning of gray cast iron EN GJL-350. During the turning operation, the variable machining parameters are cutting speed, feed rate, depth of cut and type of the cutting material. This contribution consists of two sections, the first one deals with the performance evaluation of four materials in terms of evolution of flank wear, surface roughness (2D and 3D) and cutting forces. The focus of the second section is on statistical analysis, followed by modeling and optimization. The experiments are conducted according to the Taguchi design L32 and based on ANOVA approach to quantify the impact of input factors on the output parameters, namely, the surface roughness (Ra), the cutting force (Fz), the cutting power (Pc), specific cutting energy (Ecs). The RSM method was used to create prediction models of several technical factors (Ra, Fz, Pc, Ecs and MRR). Subsequently, the desirability function approach was used to achieve a multi-objective optimization that encompasses the output parameters simultaneously. The aim is to obtain optimal cutting regimes, following several cases of optimization often encountered in industry. The results found show that the CBN tool is the most efficient cutting material compared to the three ceramics. The optimal combination for the first case where the importance is the same for the different outputs is Vc=660 m/min, f=0.116 mm/rev, ap=0.232 mm and the material CBN. The optimization results have been verified by carrying out confirmation tests.