Effect of process variables on microhardness and surface roughness in SPIF of beryllium copper

Abstract

Beryllium copper is gaining the popularity among material research community owing to its excellent properties like high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, and high electrical conductivity. This work aims to enhance the performance of ‘Single Point Incremental Forming (SPIF)’ of Beryllium copper using desirability function analysis (DFA). Feed rate (FEED), Step size (SS), wall angle (WA), and tool rotation speed (TRPM) are the four vital input parameters that have been chosen. This research investigates the effects of variations in these four factors on the truncated cone’s surface roughness and microhardness. After testing different levels of these parameters, the optimal setting using desirability function analysis was 0.4 mm step size, 200 mm min⁻¹ feed rate, 47° wall angle, and a tool rotation speed of 1500 rpm with desirability of 70.7%. Further, measured data was subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tests to determine the significance of all parameters on the responses. Results of the ANOVA analysis showed that the step size and tool rotation speed had the most profound impact on surface roughness and micro-hardness respectively. Feed rate and wall angle were the least significant parameters in affecting the surface roughness and micro-hardness respectively. The confirmation experiments validated fine-tuning with predicted and experimental values.