Papers by Author: S.K. Patel

Abstract: Enhanced tool life of cutting inserts are most suitable condition for higher productivity of a manufacturing industry. Several methods are found and employed for higher tool life of cutting inserts among which cryogenic treatment is considered as the most significant method but no adequate researches have been found concerning the impact of cryogenic treatment on cermet inserts especially in hard turning operation. Hence, in the current experimental investigation, the comparative assessment of various responses such as flank wear, crater wear, chip morphology, and chip compression ratio were carried out during machining of hardened steel with both untreated and cryo-treated cermet inserts under dry cutting condition. Wear on the rake faces and flank faces were studied using advanced optical microscope, while chip morphology was studied using SEM. The experimental result demonstrated that the uncoated deep cryotreated with tempered cermet insert delivered better results in comparison to other cermet inserts. Deep cryogenically treated with tempered insert was found to be more suitable during machining of hardened steel because of the enhancement of wear resistance, micro hardness and toughness.

Abstract: Quality and productivity are two important aspects have become great concerns in todays competitive global market. Every manufacturing/ production unit mainly focuses on these areas in relation to the process as well as product developed. Achieving high quality necessarily requires higher degree of skill, sophisticated machine/ tools, advanced technology, precise control, immense attention-inspection and considerable time. Improvement of quality results reduction in productivity and vice versa. Thus, optimality must be maintained between quality as well as productivity. The case study highlights EDM of stainless steel in which best process environment (optimal) has been determined to satisfy productivity and quality requirements simultaneously. Material Removal Rate (MRR) during the process has been considered as productivity estimate with the aim to maximize it; whereas surface roughness i.e. (R_a value) of the machined surface has been chosen as surface quality estimate with the requirement to minimize it. These two contradicting requirements have been simultaneously satisfied by selecting an optimal process environment (optimal parameter setting). Desirability Function (DF) approach coupled with Taguchi method has been used to solve the problem.