Evaluation and optimisation of surface roughness in the lapping process of DIN/EN 1.2379 steel using bi-composite lapping plates

The low material removal rate (MRR) of the lapping process is an obstacle that increases the cost of a process. To increase the MRR and reduce the cost of machining, bi-composite lapping plates have been suggested. In this study, the effects of different types of bi-composite lapping plates, abrasive particle size, and lapping pressure have been investigated on surface roughness and flatness error of 1.2379 steel. Steel, copper, and tin bi-composite lapping plates have been used for this research. The experiments show, as the size of grain increases, the amount of surface roughness and out of flatness will increase. The sensitivity analysis shows that lapping pressure, lapping plate type, and grit size have the maximum effect on both outputs, respectively. Minimum surface roughness and out of flatness as two objects of optimisation are obtained at pressure 10 kPa, 6 μm diamond abrasive grit size by the tin bi-composite lapping plate, simultaneously. © 2024 Inderscience Publishers. All rights reserved.