Study on milling surface quality of superalloy GH4145

Purpose This study aims to reveal the influence of milling process parameters on the surface roughness and morphology of superalloy GH4145.The groove milling mechanism and surface quality influence factors of superalloy GH4145 were studied experimentally. Design/methodology/approach This paper provides investigations on three-dimensional finite element model (FEM) and simulation of milling process for GH4145.The milling experiment uses Taguchi L16 experimental design and single factor experimental design. The surface morphology of the workpiece was observed by scanning electron microscopy, and the influence mechanism of milling parameters on surface quality is expounded. Findings The results show that the cutting force increases by 133% with the increase in milling depth. The measured minimum surface roughness is 0.035 µm. With the change in milling depth, the surface roughness increases by 249%. With the change in cutting speed, the surface roughness increased by 54.8%. As the feed rate increases, the surface roughness increases by a maximum of 91.1%. The milling experiment verifies that the error between the predicted surface roughness and the actual value is less than 8%. Originality/value The milling experiment uses a Taguchi L16 experimental design and a single-factor experimental design. Mathematical models can be used in research as a contribution to current research. In addition, the milling cutter can be changed to further test this experiment. Reveal the influence of milling process parameters on the surface roughness and morphology of superalloy GH4145. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-03-2024-0080/