Green machining of aluminum honeycomb treated using ice fixation in cryogenic

Abstract

This paper aimed to restrain the processing defects of aluminum alloy honeycombs using in aerospace with low stiffness and thin-walled, such as burr and collapse edge. The honeycomb material was treated by new method named ice fixation, and a CNC milling machine was used for a series of cryogenic machining. The fixation strength was calculated and machining defect reasons were analyzed. The cryogenic milling mechanism with ice fixation was established at the same time. Results show that compared to the without ice or conventional fixation way, the honeycomb fixation force and strength are all greatly increasing and that can reach 287 N and 19.1 kPa, respectively. Meanwhile, the processing defects are effectively suppressed. Others the cutting depth has greater influence on surface quality, and it makes the milling force improved three times, while the improvement of fixation and milling force and the cryogenic processing are the main reasons of reducing defects. The ice fixation cryogenic processing provides a new and effective method for aluminum alloy honeycomb with low rigidity and thin-wall.