A model for force prediction in grinding holes of SiCp/Al composites

Abstract

Excellent mechanical properties make high volume fraction SiCp/Al composites applicable to many important applications. However, the extremely high hardness of the reinforcement SiC particles makes it difficult to machine, especially for the hole-grinding process. In this paper, a new model for predicting the axial force and torque during grinding hole of SiCp/Al composites was developed. Considering the material removal mechanism, the grinding force was divided into three components according to the source, which were the plastic deformation force of matrix material, friction force between abrasive grits and workpiece material, debonding and fracture force of SiC particles, respectively. A novel method for calculating the thickness and cross-sectional area of undeformed chips in grinding holes was proposed to calculate the single-grit grinding force. The axial force and torque of the grinding tool were obtained by calculating the total grinding force of all effective grits. Results of the validated experiments were in good agreement with that of the presented model within the range of test parameters in this paper, with prediction deviation of the axial force and torque of 7.8% and 5.2%, which indicate that the model can be used to optimize process parameters.