The Optimization of Flow Drilling and Tapping on Thin-Walled Hollow Sections

Mert Şafak Tunalıoğlu

doi:10.64808/engineeringperspective.1918985

The Optimization of Flow Drilling and Tapping on Thin-Walled Hollow Sections

Abstract

Drilling and welding operations on thin-walled materials present significant challenges. During drilling, irregularities and cracks often form around the hole, and subsequent tapping results in an insufficient number of threads, leading to easily loosened connections. When additional nuts are welded to strengthen the connection, problems such as material burn-through and deformation can occur. Flowdrill and flowtap methods are used for rapid drilling and screwing of thin-walled holes. Unlike traditional drilling where chips are removed from the workpiece, the flowdrill method displaces the material to form a bushing on the underside. In this study, drilling and threading operations were performed on 1.5 mm AISI 304 stainless steel square and circular profiles using flowdrill and flowtap methods at different rotational speeds, feed rates, and hole diameters. The effects of rotational speed, feed rate, and profile type on bushing height and clamping force were investigated for various hole diameters. Taguchi-Gray Analysis (GRA) method was used to optimize the factors affecting the results and determine their effect ratios. The applicability of the method was examined by comparing the results obtained from the experiments with the Taguchi regression analysis equation and theoretical results. According to the ANOVA results, the largest factor affecting bushing height and clamping force is the spindle speed, with 60-75%. The geometry of the bushes inserted into the material changes with the feed rate. It has been observed that smoother and longer bushings are formed at lower feed rates due to longer friction contact times, while shorter bushings are formed at higher feed rates. The prediction error of the regression models was found to be in the range of 2–4%. This shows the applicability of the equation found.

Keywords

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Machine Tools, Machining, Optimization in Manufacturing

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Mert Şafak Tunalıoğlu ^*
Türkiye

Publication Date

June 3, 2026

Submission Date

March 30, 2026

Acceptance Date

June 1, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 6 Number: 3

DOI

https://doi.org/10.64808/engineeringperspective.1918985

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA47JG25HZ

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Tunalıoğlu, M. Ş. (2026). The Optimization of Flow Drilling and Tapping on Thin-Walled Hollow Sections. Engineering Perspective, 6(3), 446-455. https://doi.org/10.64808/engineeringperspective.1918985

AMA

1.Tunalıoğlu MŞ. The Optimization of Flow Drilling and Tapping on Thin-Walled Hollow Sections. engineeringperspective. 2026;6(3):446-455. doi:10.64808/engineeringperspective.1918985

Chicago

Tunalıoğlu, Mert Şafak. 2026. “The Optimization of Flow Drilling and Tapping on Thin-Walled Hollow Sections”. Engineering Perspective 6 (3): 446-55. https://doi.org/10.64808/engineeringperspective.1918985.

EndNote

Tunalıoğlu MŞ (June 1, 2026) The Optimization of Flow Drilling and Tapping on Thin-Walled Hollow Sections. Engineering Perspective 6 3 446–455.

IEEE

[1]M. Ş. Tunalıoğlu, “The Optimization of Flow Drilling and Tapping on Thin-Walled Hollow Sections”, engineeringperspective, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 446–455, June 2026, doi: 10.64808/engineeringperspective.1918985.

ISNAD

Tunalıoğlu, Mert Şafak. “The Optimization of Flow Drilling and Tapping on Thin-Walled Hollow Sections”. Engineering Perspective 6/3 (June 1, 2026): 446-455. https://doi.org/10.64808/engineeringperspective.1918985.

JAMA

1.Tunalıoğlu MŞ. The Optimization of Flow Drilling and Tapping on Thin-Walled Hollow Sections. engineeringperspective. 2026;6:446–455.

MLA

Tunalıoğlu, Mert Şafak. “The Optimization of Flow Drilling and Tapping on Thin-Walled Hollow Sections”. Engineering Perspective, vol. 6, no. 3, June 2026, pp. 446-55, doi:10.64808/engineeringperspective.1918985.

Vancouver

1.Mert Şafak Tunalıoğlu. The Optimization of Flow Drilling and Tapping on Thin-Walled Hollow Sections. engineeringperspective. 2026 Jun. 1;6(3):446-55. doi:10.64808/engineeringperspective.1918985