Abstract
Abstract In this work, wire electric discharge turning, a novel and unconventional technique, was used for the turning operation of a newly developed hybrid metal matrix composite of aluminum (A359/B4C/Al2O3) fabricated in-house by electromagnetic stir casting. The objective of the work was to examine the effect of rotational speed on the elements of surface integrity. It involved the measurement of various parameters such as the roughness (Ra, Rq, Rz), morphology of the recast layers, microhardness variation, and the formation of residual stresses on the machined surface and in the subsurface during the operation. The quality of the turned surface was examined by 3D surface visualization images and surface topographical details obtained by an Olympus LEXT OLS 3100 laser confocal microscope. Further, surface study at the microscopic level was done by field-effect scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) images to examine the surface defects. The measurement results revealed a successful turning operation, which showed a dull, textured surface without any specific texture or pattern on the machined surface. The surface had many peaks and valleys with small-scale of defects such as surface porosity. However, these defects were negligible and resulted in a smooth surface finish at high rotational speeds.
Highlights
Metal matrix composites (MMCs) are advanced materials containing the nonmetallic phase of the reinforcing material in the metallic phase of the matrix alloy and having improved properties compared to those of the basic alloy
The results showed that an increase in pulse energy increased the microhardness and thickness of the recast layer deposited
The hybrid MMC of A359 + 2% Al2O3 + 2% B4C was successfully developed by electromagnetic stir-casting in
Summary
Metal matrix composites (MMCs) are advanced materials containing the nonmetallic phase of the reinforcing material in the metallic phase of the matrix alloy and having improved properties compared to those of the basic alloy. Aluminum composites are very suitable materials for the automobile and aircraft industries because of their favorable properties such as light weight, high hardness, higher tensile and compressive strengths, better wear, and high corrosive resistance [1,2,3]. MMCs are used in manufacturing industries because of their extensive applcations. Machining of these materials is still a challenging task. The presence of hard reinforcing particles in the MMCs leads to the high tool wear. Carbide tools show significant tool wear even for a very short period of machining [7]
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