Abstract
Ultraprecision machining of metal matrix composites (MMCs) is observed as a scientific challenge, due to their hard-to-machine property and often the poor surface finish. This paper presents an experimental investigation on surface generation in ultraprecision machining of Al/B4C/50p MMCs. The machining trials using straight flute polycrystalline diamond (PCD) tools are conducted on a high precision micro milling machine. Side milling is adopted under varied cutting conditions. Metrology assessments on the workpiece surface roughness, topography, texture and defects/features are undertaken using a ZYGO 3D surface profiler and a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Experimental results indicate that process parameters and their contributions play essential roles in the machining process. By applying the optimal process parameters, e.g. cutting speed of 188.496 m/min, feed rate of 10 μm/rev and axial depth of cut of 150 μm, a better surface generation with surface roughness Ra < 20 nm can be obtained in ultraprecision machining of Al/B4C/50p particulate MMCs.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Teti R (2002) Machining of composite materials. CIRP Ann 51(2):611–634
Bains PS, Sidhu SS, Payal HS (2016) Fabrication and machining of metal matrix composites: a review. Mater Manuf Process 31:553–573
Dabade UA, Jadhav MR (2016) Experimental study of surface integrity of Al/SiC particulate metal–matrix composites in hot machining. Procedia CIRP 41:914–919
Muthukrishnan N, Murugan M, Rao KP (2008) An investigation on the machinability of Al-SiC metal matrix composites using pcd inserts. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 38(5–6):447–454
Pramanik A (2014) Developments in the non-traditional machining of particle reinforced metal matrix composites. Int J Mach Tools Manuf 86:44–61
Nicholls CJ, Boswell B, Davies IJ, Islam MN (2017) Review of machining metal matrix composites. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 90:2429–2441
Karabulut Ş, Karakoç H, Çıtak R (2016) Influence of B4C particle reinforcement on mechanical and machining properties of Al6061/B4C composites. Compos Part B 101:87–98
Karabulut Ş (2015) Optimization of surface roughness and cutting force during AA7039/Al2O3 metal matrix composites milling using neural networks and Taguchi method. Measurement 66:139–149
Bian R, He N, Li L, Zhan ZB, Wu Q, Shi ZY (2014) Precision milling of high volume fraction SiCp/Al composites with monocrystalline diamond end mill. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 71:411–419
Davim JP, Antonio CAC (2001) Optimization of cutting conditions in machining of aluminium matrix composites using a numerical and experimental model. J Mater Process Technol 112:78–82
Ding X, Liew WYH, Liu XD (2005) Evaluation of machining performance of MMC with PCBN and PCD tools. Wear 259:1225–1234
Wang T, Xie LJ, Wang XB, Jiao L, Shen JW, Xu H, Nie FM (2013) Surface integrity of high speed milling of Al/SiC/65p aluminum matrix composites. Procedia CIRP 8:475–480
Niu ZC, Cheng K (2016) Multiphysics based modelling and analysis of micro milling metal matrix composites (MMCs) against the effects of key process variables. The euspen’s 16th International Conference, Nottingham, UK
Niu ZC (2018) Investigation on the multiscale multiphysics based approach to modelling and analysis of precision machining of metal matrix composites (MMCs) and its application perspectives. PhD thesis, Brunel University London
Teng X, Huo D, Wong E, Meenashisundaram G, Gupta M (2016) Micro-machinability of nanoparticle-reinforced mg-based MMCs: an experimental investigation. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 87:2165–2178
Ahmed GMS, Reddy PR, Seetharamaiah N (2012) Experimental evaluation of critical axial depth of cut with magneto rheological damping in end milling process. Int J Sci Res Publ 2(8):1–11
Cheng K, Huo D (2013) Micro cutting: fundamentals and applications. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester
Liu J, Cheng K, Ding H, Chen S, Zhao L (2018) An investigation of the influence of phases’ removal ways on surface quality in micro milling SiCp/Al composites. Procedia CIRP 71:59–64
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Professor G.H. Wu and his team at Harbin Institute of Technology in providing the MMC materials, and the interesting and helpful discussion on the MMC materials design and fabrication.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
About this article
Cite this article
Niu, Z., Cheng, K. An experimental investigation on surface generation in ultraprecision machining of particle reinforced metal matrix composites. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 105, 4499–4507 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-018-03256-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-018-03256-y