How to select the most relevant 3D roughness parameters of a surface.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science and Engineering
• Surface Metrology
• Manufacturing Processes

Background:

• Surface roughness is critical for material performance and function.
• Existing 3D roughness parameters (over sixty) offer comprehensive but complex descriptions of surface morphology.
• Standardized parameters (ISO, EUR, ASME) are used, but relevance varies with application and process.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a multiscale surface topography decomposition method for analyzing stainless steel (AISI 304) surfaces.
• To identify the most relevant 3D roughness parameters for characterizing rolling and electrical discharge machining (EDM) processes.
• To determine the optimal scale of analysis for distinguishing the effects of these manufacturing processes.

Main Methods:

• Application of a multiscale surface topography decomposition method to AISI 304 stainless steel samples.
• Calculation of fifty-six 3D roughness parameters based on ISO, EUR, and ASME standards.
• Statistical analysis using expert software "MesRug" to evaluate parameter relevance and scale dependency.

Main Results:

• For the rolling process, the Core Material Volume (Vmc) at a 3 µm scale was identified as the most relevant parameter.
• For the electrical discharge machining (EDM) process, the number of peaks per unit area (SPD) at an 8 µm scale was found to be the most significant roughness parameter.
• The study highlights the scale-dependent nature of roughness parameter relevance for different manufacturing processes.

Conclusions:

• The multiscale decomposition method effectively identifies critical 3D roughness parameters for specific manufacturing processes.
• Vmc at 3 µm is a key indicator for cold rolling effects on surface texture.
• SPD at 8 µm is crucial for characterizing surfaces produced by EDM.