Experimental Investigation of Hard Turning Process Using PCBN Insert and Optimization of Cutting Parameters

Hard turning is becoming more popular for machining hardened steels as it has several benefits over grinding. It is defined as machining steel with hardness greater than 45 HRC. PCBN is the widely used tool material for hard turning applications due to its high hardness, high wear resistance, and high thermal stability. There are several issues, which should be understood and dealt with, to achieve successful performance of hard turning process. The objective of present work is to establish a correlation between cutting parameters such as cutting speed, feed rate and depth of cut with cutting force and surface roughness on work piece. Optimization of cutting parameters for minimising cutting forces and surface roughness while turning 42CrMoS4 steel of 55±2 HRC. It is observed that, the use of lower feed (0.05mm/rev), lower depth of cut (0.2mm) and limiting the cutting speed to medium value (180 m/min) ensures minimum cutting forces (100N to 150 N) and surface roughness (0.467 μ).