Finite Element Investigation of the Influence of SiC Particle Distribution on Diamond Cutting of SiCp/Al Composites

Abstract

Characteristics of internal microstructures have a strong impact on the properties of particulate reinforced metal composites. In the present work, we perform finite element simulations to elucidate fundamental mechanisms involved in the ultra-precision orthogonal cutting of aluminum-based silicon carbide composites (SiCp/Al), with an emphasis on the influence of particle distribution characteristic. The SiCp/Al composite with a particle volume fraction of 25 vol% and a mean particle size of 10 μm consists of randomly distributed polygon-shaped SiC particles, the elastic deformation and brittle failure of which are described by the brittle cracking model. Simulation results reveal that in addition to metal matrix tearing, cutting-induced particle deformation in terms of dislodging, debonding, and cracking plays an important role in the microscopic deformation and correlated machining force variation and machined surface integrity. It is found that the standard deviation of particle size to the mean value has a strong influence on the machinability of microscopic particle–tool edge interactions and macroscopically observed machining results. The present work provides a guideline for the rational synthesis of particulate-reinforced metal composites with high machinability.

A Review on Machining SiCp/Al Composite Materials

“…Liu et al [ 21 , 22 ] conducted similar research on 45% SiC/Al composite materials and discovered that the micro-milling feed rate per tooth is approximately half the size of the particle, resulting in a relatively good cutting surface. Lu et al [ 23 , 24 ] suggested that the interaction between the tool and particles in the lower and middle parts of the particles can yield a smooth machined surface. Additionally, the rake angle of the cutting tool significantly changes the established stress state in the tool particle contact area, leading to a strong coupling effect between the rake angle of the tool and the position of the tool particle in SiCp/Al diamond cutting.…”

Study on cutting temperatures of SiCp ∕ Al composites for ultrasonic vibration-assisted cutting

“…At the same time, the heat generated during the cutting process will have a significant impact on the formation of accumulated edges, the size of the cutting force, the particle fragmentation, the tool wear and service life as well as the performance and surface morphology of the processed material (J. Lu et al, 2020). Zha et al (2018) studied the ma-terial removal of SiCp / Al-based composites in ultrasonic vibration-assisted scratching and traditional scratching experiments.…”

Numerical simulation of materials-oriented ultra-precision diamond cutting: review and outlook

“…Thirdly, while the superior combined properties of composites originate from the complementation of properties of individual phases, their machinability is severely restricted by the low synergetic deformation between constitutive phases with dramatically different mechanical properties. For instance, cavities on machined surface of SiC particle-reinforced Al matrix composites (SiCp/Al) caused by particle-matrix interface debonding, or roughening on machined surface of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) caused by fiber fracture, are inevitably formed in their cutting processes, which dramatically lower the machined surface integrity [27][28][29][30][31]. Thus, how to modulate the differences in machining response between constitutive phases is critical for facilitating the machinability of composites.…”