An experimental investigation during finishing of particulate reinforced Al/10 wt% SiC<SUB align="right">p-MMC on developed AFF setup

Abstract

This paper presents the improved results of an experimental investigation during abrasive flow finishing (AFF) of particulate reinforced aluminium silicon carbide metal matrix composite (Al/SiCp-MMC). The influence of AFF process parameters, e.g., abrasive mesh size, number of cycles, extrusion pressure, percentage of abrasive concentration and media viscosity grade on arithmetic mean value of surface roughness height (Ra, μm) and maximum peak-valley surface roughness height (Rt, μm) have been investigated. Experimental results show that the achieved Ra is as low as 0.005 µm and improvement in surface finish over conventional machining, i.e., reaming is 96.07%. Mathematical models for Ra and Rt are developed for proper selection of the to AFF process parameters. From the test results and SEM micrographs of the workpiece samples before and after AFF, suitable range of process parameters can be selected to achieve better surface finish. Taguchi method-based experimental design, L18 (61 × 37) mixed orthogonal array, S/N ratios are employed to identify the optimal parametric combinations for minimum Ra and Rt. This paper also attempts to explain the basic mechanism of material removal during AFF of Al/10 wt% SiCp-MMC.