Experimental Investigations on The Effect of Tungsten Content on the Machining Behaviour of Tungsten Heavy Alloys

The present work attempts to assess the machinability of tungsten heavy alloys (WHAs) with varying tungsten content in terms of different machining variables under varied cutting conditions. It is observed that the feed rate has a significant effect on the machining characteristics, whereas the effect of rake angle appears to be marginal. With increase in W content both cutting force and material removal rate increase, whereas surface roughness decreases. Since WHAs are difficult to machine, an additional objective of the study is to optimise machining parameters. An optimal balance of the experimental cutting parameters using Grey relational analysis has been achieved, which can be effectively employed for the machining of the alloys with close dimensional tolerances and desirable surface finish.