Abstract This study investigates the surface integrity of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy in milling operations. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was employed to analyze the impact of milling parameters, including cutting speed ( v c ) and feed per tooth ( f z ) and their interaction effect ( v c × f z ), on surface roughness, residual stress distribution, and surface work hardening of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy. The three-dimensional response surface analysis revealed that when v c was set to 800 mm/min and f z was 0.06 mm/z, a minimum surface roughness (Ra) of 0.049 μm was obtained, and a -60 MPa gradient residual compressive stress layer was induced. The work hardening rate was found to exhibit a nonlinear variation due to the interaction of parameters, with a peak value of 114% observed at v c × f z . The findings lay a foundation for future research aimed at improving the service performance of this alloy, which is of great significance for enhancing its service reliability in the aerospace field.
Xin et al. (Fri,) studied this question.