Finite element and experimental analysis of surface integrity and surface roughness of precision machining SiCp/Al

Abstract

The silicon carbide particle-reinforced matrix composites, or SiCp/Al, have excellent mechanical qualities, but producing them is quite difficult since the SiC particles’ and the Al matrix’s properties differ greatly from one another. During the cutting process, the Ra local oscillation phenomena takes place; that is, surface roughness seems to grow, decrease, and then increase as the cutting depth increases within a particular cutting depth range while maintaining the same cutting speed and feed. To find out why this behavior occurred, a cutting experiment and a simulation analysis of SiCp/Al composites were performed. Tests were conducted to find out how varied cutting depths affected surface roughness, and a finite element model for two-dimensional cutting was created. Based on the data, it can be concluded that Ra’s local oscillation phenomena is responsible for the surface quality at various cutting speeds. At 100 mm/s, 200 mm/s, 300 mm/s, and 400 mm/s, respectively, the mutation’s surface quality improved by 29.6%, 14.3%, 19.6%, and 30.7% prior to the cutting depth. The analysis is justified by the fact that the depth of cut is increasing, the way in which particles are removed has changed and the percentage of scratches appears to be decreasing. As aluminium is a plastic material, plastic deformation occurs during cutting by the sub-cutting edge of the extrusion, coating the machined surfaces and producing fine cracks rather than plough furrows. In a sense, increasing the cutting thickness results in larger chips, more force on the particles in the cutting path and easier removal. At the same time, it reduces the width of the chip in future cuts, improving the surface quality of the process.