The demand for the surface integrity of complex structures is drastically increasing in the field of aerospace, marine and automotive industry. Therefore, Inconel alloy, due to its superior attributes, has a wide scope for the improvement in surface integrity. To achieve the precise surface finish and enhance the process performance, process optimization is necessary. In current paper, chemically assisted MAF process parameters were optimized using the genetic algorithm (GA) approach during finishing of Inconel 625 tubes. Regression models were developed for improvement in internal surface finish (PIISF), improvement in external surface finish (PIESF), and material removal (MR) using Design expert software. Then, the surface microstructure of Inconel 625 tubes was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). ANOVA analysis predicts that processing time and abrasive size have the highest percentage contribution in improving the surface finish and material removal. Multioptimization results suggested to set the level of processing time (A) at 75 min, surface rotational speed (B) at 60 RPM, weight % of abrasives (C) at 30%, chemical concentration (D) at 500 gm/lt and abrasive size (E) at 40 microns to obtain optimal parameters for PIISF, PIESF and MR responses.
Keywords: Inconel 625; SEM; chemical-assisted MAF; genetic algorithm; material removal (MR); multiresponse optimization; surface finish.