Optimization of process parameters in drilling of epoxy Si3N4 composite material

Drilling of composite materials is an important and current topic in modern researches on manufacturing processes. Currently, the use of composite materials has increased in various areas of science and technology due to their special physical and mechanical properties such as high specific strength, stiffness and fatigue strength. Polymer matrix Composites are widely used in aerospace and automobile industries and several other structural applications owing to their superior mechanical and physical properties. Taguchi's Orthogonal Array based on robust design is one of the important techniques, which is used for optimization of process parameters of drilling. In this paper, an attempt has been made to optimize the drilling parameters using the Taguchi's technique which is based on the robust design. Experiments are carried out on machining the various % volume of Si3N4 in epoxy Si3N4 composite materials, using the HSS tool for various cutting conditions and diameter of drill bit. The input process parameters considered during experiments are viz., % volume of Si3N4, Speed, Feed, diameter of drill bit and machining time. The response variables measured for the analysis are surface roughness circularity and cylindricity. Analysis has been carried out through various steps like calculating degrees of freedom, physical layout and total response layout up to ANOVA table. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.