Abstract
The existing research on SiCp/Al composite machining mainly focuses on the machining parameters or surface morphology. However, the surface quality of SiCp/Al composites with a high volume fraction has not been extensively studied. In this study, 32 SiCp/Al specimens with a high volume fraction were prepared and their machining parameters measured. The surface quality of the specimens was then tested and the effect of the grinding parameters on the surface quality was analyzed. The grinding quality of the composite specimens was comprehensively analyzed taking the grinding force, friction coefficient, and roughness parameters as the evaluation standards. The best grinding parameters were obtained by analyzing the surface morphology. The results show that, a higher spindle speed should be chosen to obtain a better surface quality. The final surface quality is related to the friction coefficient, surface roughness, and fragmentation degree as well as the quantity and distribution of the defects. Lower feeding amount, lower grinding depth and appropriately higher spindle speed should be chosen to obtain better surface quality. Lower feeding amount, higher grinding depth and spindle speed should be chosen to balance grind efficiently and surface quality. This study proposes a systematic evaluation method, which can be used to guide the machining of SiCp/Al composites with a high volume fraction.
Highlights
SiCp/Al is a composite material with high specific stiffness, specific strength, and thermal conductivity, and a low thermal expansion coefficient
To satisfy the application requirements, SiCp/Al composites with a high volume fraction are needed [5, 6]; they have excellent mechanical properties
SiCp/Al composites with a high volume fraction are difficult to machine [7,8,9]
Summary
SiCp/Al is a composite material with high specific stiffness, specific strength, and thermal conductivity, and a low thermal expansion coefficient. It is widely used in precision optical instruments, advanced weapons, and the aerospace field [1,2,3,4]. Zheng et al [19] studied the surface roughness of SiCp/Al composite materials after vibration grinding. Kannan et al [21] studied the formation mechanism of serrated chips during the machining of SiCp/Al composite materials. The specimens were grouped and their surface quality was analyzed by the cutting force, friction coefficient, and roughness parameters. Evaluation Standard To evaluate the machining quality, the grinding force (F), friction coefficient (COF), roughness parameters, and surface morphology were chosen as the evaluation parameters. (5) Sku is the kurtosis of the surface height distribution. Sku is less than 3 if the surface profile is flat and more than 3 if the surface profile is steep
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