Effect of SiC Particles on the Machining of Aluminum/SiC Composite

The objective of this study is to experimentally investigate the effect of reinforced SiC particles on the machining of Aluminum/SiC composite (15% volume ratio of SiC particles with average grain size 15m). Aluminum/SiC composite and aluminum metal were milled by a tungsten carbide endmill in this study. Based on the surface observation and surface roughness inspection, it is found that the machining parameters of Aluminum/SiC composite have optimum values, and that the surface roughness of aluminum/SiC composite is smaller than that of aluminum metal. when feedrate and depth of cut are smaller than limited values, satisfactory surface finish can be attainable, however, as the depth of cut and feedrate increases, the microcracks are first initiated at the interface of SiC particles and aluminum matrix, and then periodically macrocracks are formed on the machined surface, The damage mechanism during the machining of aluminum/SiC are discussed in this paper.