Application of taguchi method coupled with GRA for optimization of drilling process parameters

Abstract

In present article, an experimental study is performed for optimizing the machining parameters of AA6082. The control factors like cutting fluid (present - absent), speed (520 rpm – 420 rpm), feed rate (120 mm/min – 80 mm/min) and hole-depth (16 mm – 24 mm) are taken into account to optimize the material removal rate and surface roughness. Taguchi’s L18 orthogonal array was chosen for experimental trials. Grey relational analysis is employed to find, which process parameters affect the surface finish most with their percentage contribution individually. The results of ANOVA show that among all the control factors, feed rate (74.82%) is the highest contributing factor followed by cutting fluid (11.42%). This study also shows that by using the taguchi approach, the surface finish of the machining process can be upgraded.