Improving surface quality in microcutting of 10B/Al composite

Abstract

Purpose The microcutting performance of the 10B/Al composite is significantly poor because of the existence of hard boron particles. The effects of cutting parameters, including uncut chip thickness and cutting speed, on the material removal mechanism and surface generation are investigated to improve the surface quality. Design/methodology/approach The 2D finite element model, which includes a rigid cutting tool, a reinforced phase, a matrix and a dense layer, is established. The effects of uncut chip thickness on material removal mechanism and surface generation are analyzed from a probabilistic perspective. The relationship between the uncut chip thickness and the probability in which the machined surface will have a better surface quality is constructed. A Gaussian distribution formula is applied to describe the machined surface quality. Findings Two representative particle-removal modes, namely, cutting-through and pulling-out modes, are observed. For cutting-through mode, when the relative cutting location is small, better surface quality is obtained. For pulling-out mode, the quality of the machined surface gradually improves because the further increase of the relative cutting location reduces the height of the generated pit and scratches. The microcutting at high cutting speed tends to suppress the scratch phenomenon. The best surface quality will be obtained at small uncut chip thickness and high cutting speed. Originality/value The surface quality generated in microcutting of the 10B/Al composite can be improved by optimizing the cutting parameters and controlling the particle-removal modes based on the proposed Gaussian distribution formula.