Surface quality and milling force of SiCp/Al ceramic for ultrasonic vibration-assisted milling

Abstract

Due to the advantages of higher specific stiffness, wear resistance, and thermal conductivity, SiCp/Al ceramics are widely used in aerospace, automation, and other industries. As a novel machining method, ultrasonic vibration-assisted milling (UVAM) can efficiently perform the milling of difficult-to-machine materials such as SiCp/Al ceramics. In this study, the contact ratio model of tool-chip is established for UVAM. Based on the presented contact ratio model, the effect of processing parameters on the contact ratio is analyzed. The microscopic model of SiCp/Al ceramic is developed by FEM simulation, which takes into account the distribution of the reinforcement particles and the internal structure of SiCp/Al ceramic. According to the simulation results, the material removal mechanism of SiCp/Al ceramic is investigated. The theoretical and experimental analysis shows that the material removal of SiCp/Al ceramic mainly consists of plastic removal of the Al matrix, the fracture of the reinforcement phase, and the debonding of the interfacial phase. Since the effect of intermittent cutting, UVAM can effectively suppress the generation of surface defects compared to conventional milling.