State-of-the-art research and corresponding industrial perspective for the use of textured surfaces in machining applications

Abstract

The subject of surface texturing has been one of the most sought and rigorously researched domains of interest for the research community in the manufacturing field for a few decades. The reason for this is the potential applications of surface texturing techniques in various sectors of manufacturing and services. One of the foremost applications where surface texturing has proven to be highly beneficial is cutting tool manufacturing. There are several other applications of surface texturing like fabrication of aerospace and marine structures where the research is still not well established. Unlike these applications, surface texturing in metal cutting has been established and documented by researchers to a level to get the process implemented in practical industry use cases. The present work critically assesses the work related to surface texturing in metal cutting for tools (cutting tools, drills, milling tools, etc.) that have highlighted the influence of surface texturing on performance improvement. Various manufacturing techniques used to create surface textures and their underlying mechanisms for performance improvement have been discussed. The synergistic effects coupled with the benefits of employing texturing with coatings/ lubrication/ cooling have also been critically analyzed over a wider range of process parameters and work material combinations. Furthermore, the existing finite element (FE) models for textured surfaces have been discussed to identify the ease/complexity of the simulation to achieve the advantages of texturing and their practical validity.