Machinability study of Al-TiC metal matrix composite

Aluminum Metal Matrix Composites have emerged as an advanced class of structural materials have a combination of different, superior properties compared to an unreinforced matrix, which can result in a number of service benefits such as increased strength, higher elastic moduli, higher service temperature, low CTE, improved wear resistance, high toughness, etc. The excellent mechanical properties of these materials together with weight saving makes them very attractive for a variety of engineering applications in aerospace, automotive, electronic industries, etc. Hence, these materials provide as alternative substitutes for conventional engineering materials when specific mechanical properties necessary for required applications. In this work an attempt is made to study the machining parameters of Al6061/TiC MMC. The composite is developed by reinforcing TiC particles in varying proportions of 3, 6, 9 and 12 % weight fractions to the Al6061 matric alloy through stir casting technique. Cutting forces were measured by varying cutting speed and feed rate with constant depth of cut for different % weight fractions. The results showed that the cutting force increases with the increase of feed rate and decreases with the increase of cutting speed for all the weight fractions. Cutting parameters were optimized using Taguchi technique.