Scientific Research and Essays Vol. 6(1), pp.

44-51, 4 January, 2011

Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/SRE
DOI: 10.5897/SRE10.388
ISSN 1992-2248 ©2011 Academic Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Investigation of the machinability of the Al 7075 alloy

using DLC coated cutting tools
Ay Mustafa1*, and Karagol Tanju2
1
Mechanical Education Department, Technical Education Faculty, Marmara University, Goztepe Campus, 34722
Kadikoy, Istanbul, Turkey.
2
Kartal Industrial Vocational School, Kartal Endustri Meslek Lisesi, Kartal, Istanbul, Turkey.
Accepted 6 December, 2010

Aluminum and aluminum alloys are vital to the aerospace industry. They are of great significance to
other areas of transportation and building in which durability, strength and light weight are required. In
this study, an experimental investigation on surface roughness, cutting temperature and cutting forces
in turning of aluminum 7075 alloy using diamond like carbon (DLC) coated cutting tools was presented.
The effects of the feed rate, cutting speed and depth of cut on surface roughness, cutting temperature
and cutting force were examined. In order to optimize the experimental results, Taguchi optimization
method was employed. The effect of each parameter on the obtained results was determined by the use
of analysis of variance (ANOVA). The relationship between dependent and independent parameters was
modelled with regression analysis. The optimal machinability of Al 7075 alloy with DLC coated insert
was successfully determined in this study.

Key words: Aluminum 7075, DLC coated inserts, machinability, Taguchi optimization method, analysis of
variance (ANOVA), regression analysis.

INTRODUCTION

Machining has maintained its importance for years and
the researches in this field have been closely followed by
the manufacturers. Every act of manufacturing has a cost
and there are some factors which determine them. The
cost of cutting tools and the cost of the workpiece can be
considered as the two important factors in question.
Thus, to lower the manufacturing cost and buy the
product cheaply, those factors should be taken into
consideration. For the cutting tools to live long and to
prevent the waste of the raw materials by producing the
workpiece at the required level of quality, the need for the
optimization of the cutting performance and conditions
has arisen. To achieve that, the factors which affect the
life of the cutting tools and the determination of the
quality of the workpiece have been searched by the
scientists.
The researches have revealed the fact that there are a
*Corresponding author. E-mail: muay@marmara.edu.tr. Tel:
+90 216 336 57 70/311. Fax: +90 216 337 89 87.
number of parameters and conditions in turning, which
affect the above-mentioned points (Shaw, 1984; Cakir,
2000). These are geometric properties of the cutting tool,
tip angles, approach angle, feed, cutting speed, depth of
cut, coatings, cooling liquid, chip breaker form,
workpiece, rigidity of the cutting tool etc (Shaw, 1984;
Cakir, 2000; Kurt, 2006). These parameters’ being
selected suitable to the property of workpiece material
reduces the cost of manufacturing and the applied energy
with lengthening the life of the cutting tool and the surface
quality of the manufactured product (Lin et al., 2001;
Saglam et al., 2007; Field et al., 1989; Neseli, 2006).
When all these are taken into consideration, it is obvious
that the selection of the cutting parameters in turning is
number of parameters and conditions in turning, which
very essential.
Another important point in the manufacturing method is
that the damage given to the environment should be
minimized as much as possible during the manufacturing
process. In today’s world where environment friendly
products are popular, it is necessary to provide the
manufacturing conditions in accordance with the

Table 1. Chemical composition of Al7075-T651.
Al Cu Mn Si Ti Zn Cr
Base 2.0 0.30 0.13 0.20 0.5 0.28
environment and to execute the manufacturing process
under those compatible conditions. At this stage, dry
machining process comes into prominence (Rech, 2006).
This process being followed, the damage which the
cooling liquids will give to the environment will be
removed. However, executing the manufacturing process
without cooling liquids is difficult, also. With the help of
cooling liquids, the heat caused by the friction between
the workpiece and the cutting tool is reduced (Herchang
and Yang, 1998; Dinc et al., 2008; Gokkaya and Nalbant,
2006). Plus, they help the chips arising during the cutting
process removed from the cutting area. Not using the
cooling liquids will lead to the above-mentioned
problems. To minimize those problems, coating
technology is utilized. With the manufacturing executed
with the cutting tool coated according to the properties of
the workpiece, it is aimed at reducing heat generation
and chip accumulation (Vandevelde et al., 1999; Trava-
Airoldi et al., 2007).
Diamond materials have a high level non-stick property
due to their internal structures (Donnet and Gril, 1997;
Uenga et al., 2007). Diamond-like-carbon coatings
include many uncrystallized films (Kagiya et al., 2003;
Robertson, 2002). These films resemble the diamonds
because of their stiffness, high wear resistance and
slipperiness, chemical stability, high electrical resistance
and high optical visibility (Clay et al., 1994; Voevoin et al.,
1997). This being the reason, DLC coatings are preferred
in the machinability of aluminum and alloys. Because of
their high stiffness and low wear rate, DLC coatings have
a high potential for dry machining process (Deng and
Braun, 1995; Liu et al., 1996; Erdemir, 2004; Settineri et
al., 2007).
This study deals with the effect of cutting parameters
on the machinability of Al 7075 alloy material when using
DLC coated cutting tools. The Taguchi design of
experiments and analysis of variance and regression
were used to find the percentage of influence of various
factors and their interactions on turning of Al 7075 alloy
material.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Stick. Their length was 220 mm and diameter was 50 mm.
Chemical composition of Al7075 T651 were presented in Table 1
and its mechanical properties were given in Table 2. A Johnford TC
35 CNC Fanuc 0T CNC lathe was used. In the experimental study,
DLC coated CNMG 12 04 08 4225 inserts were used. The surface
roughness value on the workpiece obtained after the machining
process was measured by MAHR- Perth meter. Three
measurements were performed on the machined surfaces to
determine the Ra values. For the force measurements, KISTLER
Mustafa and Tanju 45
9121 force sensor, KISTLER 5019b charge amplifier and
DynoWare analysis program were used. Temperature
measurements were taken with OMEGA OS532 infrared camera.
Experimental design
For the experimental design Taguchi method was employed.
Hence, it has been possible to reach more comprehensive results
with fewer experiments. In the determination of the characteristics
of the quality as the surface roughness to be measured and cutting
force were required to be minimum, “less is more” principle has
been applied among the quality values expected to be reached at
the end of the experiments (Karagol, 2008).
1 n 
S / N (η ) = −10 x log ∑ yi 2  (1)
 n i =1 
In Equation 1, n represents the number of experiments done under
experimental conditions and y represents the calculated
characteristics (dependent variable). In this experimental study,
feed (f), cutting speed (V) and depth of cut (d) were the main
parameters. DLC coated carbide inserts were used in all the
experiments. Experimental factors and their levels were presented
in Table 3 and L9 experiment design in Table 4. Schematic
drawing of the experimental setup is given in Figure 1.
RESULTS
The Surface roughness
The surface roughness values were shown in Figure 2.
As can be seen, the obtained roughness values were
between 0.8 to 3.6 µm.
The cutting force
The effect of three parameters on the cutting forces was
presented in Figure 3. The optimum cutting force value
was reached at f = 0.20 mm/rev, V = 150 m/min and d =
1.5 mm (Figure 3).
The temperature
The effect of feed and cutting speed on the heat
generation was given in Figure 4. The optimum heat
generation value was reached at f = 0.15 mm/rev, V =
150 m/min and d = 0.75 mm.
The analysis of variance (ANOVA)
The ANOVA results of the average values of surface
roughness were presented in Table 5.
The Ra predictive equation by regression model
To formulate a predictive equation between the control
46 Sci. Res. Essays

Table 2. Mechanical properties of Al7075-T651.

3
Tensile strength (MPa) Yield strength (MPa) Elongation (%) Density (kg/m ) Hardness (HB)
570 505 11 2800 160

Table 3. Experimental factors and their levels.

Parameters (A) Feed (mm/rev) (B) Cutting Speed (m/min) (C) Depth of cut (mm)
Level I 0.15 150 0.75
Level II 0.20 225 1.5
Level III 0.25 300 2.25

Table 4. Taguchi L9 experiment design.

Experiment No. Variables (A) f (mm/rev) (B) V (m/min) (C) d (mm)

1 A1B1C1 1 1 1
2 A1B2C2 1 2 2
3 A1B3C3 1 3 3
4 A2B1C2 2 1 2
5 A2B2C3 2 2 3
6 A2B3C1 2 3 1
7 A3B1C3 3 1 3
8 A3B2C1 3 2 1
9 A3B3C2 3 3 2

Figure 1. Experimental set up.

 Mustafa and Tanju 47

Figure 2. Surface roughness versus experiments.

Cutting depth [mm]

Figure 3. Cutting parameters versus cutting force change.

Figure 4. The heat generation during the chip removal.

 48 Sci. Res. Essays

Table 5. ANOVA versus Ra.

Notations Degree of freedom Sum of squares Variables F ratio Percentage ratio

A 2 6.0551 3.0275 6336.72 92.47
B 2 0.4078 0.2039 426.79 6.22
C 2 0.0842 0.0421 88.07 1.28
Error (e) 2 0.0010 0.0005 0.03
Total 8 6.5480 100

Table 6. The optimum values for the average surface roughness. The predictive optimal model designed through Taguchi
optimization method states that the optimal values for
Factors Level Ra respond value S/N respond value the surface roughness = 0.77 µm could be reached at the
A 1 1.07 -0.55489 values of 0.15 mm/rev feed, 225 m/min cutting speed
B 2 1.85 -4.57724 and 0.75 mm depth of cut.
C 1 2.06 -5.52815

The result of validation experiments

Table 7. Comparison of estimated Ra values and the results of The results of the surface roughness and predictive
validation experiments. model, which were obtained at the end of the validation
experiment, were presented in Table 7. The average
Confirmation surface roughness value which was obtained by the
Estimated
experiment validation experiment was 0.75 µm, but the result which
Level A1 B2 C1 A1 B2 C1 was presented in the predictive model was 0.77 µm.
Roughness value (µm) 0.77 0.75

DISCUSSION

factors used during chip removal (feed, cutting speed and
depth of cut) and the result (average surface roughness)
and to define this relationship, linear regression analysis
was used. The Ra equation formulated for this
experimental study is represented below:
Evaluation of surface roughness
After long years of research, active parameters in the
formation of surface roughness have been determined
and some empirical equations have been raised.

Ra = - 0.151 + 1.00 A + 0.147 B – 0.022 C + (ε)

R2 = 0.943 (2)
In this equation, A stands for the feed, B for the cutting
speed and C for the cutting depth. In addition, ε
represents inaccuracy. The coefficient of determination of
the equation was 0.943.
The prediction models of optimum parameters
With the measurement of the surface roughness, the
optimum parameters were predicted depending upon the
S/N ratio. The optimum values for the average surface
roughness were given in Table 6. The minimum surface
roughness prediction model in the machining of Al 7075
alloy material is represented below:
Min. Ra = A1 + B2 + C1 – 3 (Y)
Min. Ra = 1.07 + 1.85 + 2.06 – 2 (2.105) = 0.77 µm
0.0321 f 2
Ra = (4)
rε
Here (Equation 4), Ra: surface roughness, f: feed rate
and rε : nose radius.
As can be seen in equation 4, Ra surface roughness
value is in a direct proportion with feed and inverse
proportion with nose radius. Still, this is a too general
equation. Although the results obtained in this study are
compatible to the equation, as the material was
aluminium and DLC coated cutting tool was used, there
was no one-to-one correlation. In general, the obtained
roughness value was between 0.8 to 3.6 µm, which
meets the general expectations for a typical turning. As
could be seen in Figure 5 and 6, feed was a considerable
effect on the surface roughness as do other two variables
(3) which are cutting speed- feed and feed- depth of cut.
In the optimization of chip removal process performed
 Mustafa and Tanju 49

Figure 5. The effect of cutting speed and feed on surface roughness.

Figure 6. The effect of cutting depth and feed on surface roughness.

Table 8. S/N response table. by Taguchi method, feed, cutting speed and depth of cut
were taken as controlled factors. The average surface
Level A B C roughness values obtained and the factors in the
1 -0.55489 -5.57278 -5.52815 determination of these values were explicated in the
2 -6.64947 -4.57724 -5.85212 previous part. In this part, the optimization of the process
3 -9.72936 -6.78370 -5.55346 will be carried out by determining the suitable control
∆ max-min 9.17447 2.20646 0.32397 factors and levels for the most suitable cutting. S/N
Rank 1 2 3 response table was given in Table 8. The obtained Ra
values and signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) for each Ra value
50 Sci. Res. Essays
Figure 7. Control factors versus S/N ratios.
were presented in Figure 7. In Figure 7, the levels of
each factor’s effects on S/N ratio can be seen. In Figure
7, each factor’s (feed, cutting speed and depth of cut)
and their levels’ effect on the formation of the average
surface roughness were shown. The most suitable
conditions in the machinability of Al 7075 alloy material
were assigned using the average S/N ratio. It is seen that
the feed was the most effective parameter on the
average surface roughness (Figure 7).
Evaluation of the cutting force
The results obtained by the cutting force measurement
which were taken by Kistler dynamometer were
determined as to the effect of the cutting parameters on
cutting forces. Of the results about cutting force,
tangential cutting forces were given more importance.
The assignment of the cutting forces is important for the
workpiece and cutting tool for it affects both of them
(Shaw, 1984; Cakir, 2000; Kurt, 2006). Not only has the
wear of the cutting tool, but also cutting forces have had
an effect on the thrusts on the workpiece and even
dimensional accuracy of the manufactured product.
Among the parameters relevant for the magnitude of
cutting forces during cutting process, cutting speed may
be considered as the geometry of the cutting tool, feed
and depth of cut. Long years of research and the
experiences gained from manufacturing industry have
shown this clearly. Still, these are generally accepted
facts, the developments in manufacturing industry, types
of cutting tool coatings and machining conditions are the
effective factors in exerting the cutting force.
The higher the cutting depth and feed were the higher
the resistance on the cutting surface of the cutting tool,
thus was, also the cutting force value. However, this
increase was not linear. Especially the reason why the
increase in depth of cut and feed was linear, but was not
in cutting force could be explained by the effect of the
other parameters on the cutting force. As it was obvious
in Figure 3 again, there was an increase in the tangential
cutting force in the point depending on the cutting speed.
Evaluation of the temperature
The researches on the heat generation between the
cutting tool and the workpiece during the cutting in
machining and its effects are among the interests of the
researchers. The most common ways of temperature
measurement are infrared and thermocouple methods.
The heat caused by the friction between the workpiece
and the cutting tool is intended to be measured using
these methods. Excessive heat affects both the
workpiece and cutting tool negatively. Accordingly,
researchers have been trying to keep the heat at
optimum level by changing the cutting parameters with
respect to the machinability criteria (Herchang and Yang,
1998; Dinc et al., 2008; Gokkaya and Nalbant, 2006).
Looking at Figure 4, as the feed and cutting speed, so

does the heat.
Still, as a result of the feed rate at low cutting speeds
and the rising of depth of cut, heat increase was not
generated at the same proportions in the same conditions
and high cutting speeds; since the chip heats the work
piece and tool partially at the lower speeds. This
increases the proportion of heat increase as a result of
feed and cutting depth’s increase. At high cutting speeds,
chips should be taken away from the cutting environment
without heating the tool and the work piece. This also
decreases the heat during high cutting speeds.
Evaluation of the parameters using ANOVA method
In turning of Al 7075 alloy material, nine experiments
were carried out using three different factors at three
different levels and different Ra values were obtained
from each experiment. Whether these differences are
only a coincidence or results from the factors and the
influence of each factor in this answer will be determined
by the analysis of variance. The ANOVA results of the
average values of surface roughness were presented in
Table 5. The feed with a proportion of 92.47% was the
most effective factor in the formation of the roughness on
the machined surfaces.
Conclusion
This study of the machinability of Al 7075 alloy material
with DLC coated inserts has produced some useful
results. The criteria for the machinability are surface
roughness, cutting force and heat. Three control factors
which were considered to be effective in creating the
most suitable conditions for the criteria (feed, cutting
speed and depth of cut) were chosen at three different
levels and applied in the experimental study. Below is the
summary of the results:
a) The most effective control factor on the surface
roughness value on the machined surface is feed rate. It
has also been observed that feed is the most serviceable
factor, still depth of cut and cutting speed play a role as
well.
b) The effective parameters for the increase of cutting
forces are depth of cut, cutting speed and feed.
c) The heat generation during the chip removal is in the
direct proportion with feed.
d) Taguchi method is beneficial for the experimental
design of the machinability of Al 7075 alloy material.
Having optimized the parameters, it is also fruitful for
keeping the response values at required levels.
e) The analysis of variance (ANOVA) is helpful in
determining which control factor has how much
importance in the determination of the results obtained
from the experimental study.
Mustafa and Tanju 51
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