Comparison of Alumina Powder Behavior on Surface Roughness using the Surface Lapping Technique for JIS 420 and JIS 440 Stainless Steel Materials

The current research compared the behavior of alumina powders on the surface roughness of stainless steel materials, JIS 420, and JIS 440 using the surface lapping technique. The study employed the Design of Experiments (DeE) approach and specifically a factorial experiment, to analyze the impact of four different sizes of alumina powder, i.e. 0.05, 0.30, 1.00, and 3.00 μm, and nine different lapping times, i.e. 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, 240, and 270 min, on multiple responses, including weight loss and Average Surface Roughness (Ra) values along the x and y axes. These responses were explored to assess the surface quality of JIS 420 and JIS 440 during the lapping process. To prepare the specimen conditions for the surface roughness experiments, 200 g of alumina powder, 150 ml of alumina powder lubricant, and 1 lt of water were used. Finally, the statistical analysis resulted in the optimization of the lowest multi-response values, such as an Ra value of 0.0630 μm on the x-axis and an Ra value of 0.0688 on the y-axis. For the JIS 440, the optimal conditions were determined to be 1 μm alumina powder and a lapping time of 30 min. These statistical analyses demonstrated a high level of satisfaction (desirability), with a value as high as 90.25% during the statistical processing phase.