Influence of reinforcement particles on the mechanism of the blasting erosion arc machining of SiC/Al composites

Electrical arc machining has shown its remarkable efficiency in processing difficult-to-cut materials, especially high-temperature alloys and metal-based composites. Despite several studies about the material removal mechanisms of the electrical arc machining of metal alloys, few of these reports relate to the mechanism of machining composites with electrical arcing. Considering that reinforcements such as SiC particles have different thermal and electrical properties with metal alloys, research on the influence of SiC reinforcement on the electrical arc machining process is important and necessary. Based on comparison experiments using 20 and 50 vol.% SiC/Al composites, this research focused on the influence of SiC particles on the machining performance and material removal mechanism of blasting erosion arc machining (BEAM), and further analyzed the influence of reinforcements on composite material removal mechanisms. Analysis revealed that the molten material expelling mechanism is also influenced by the SiC fraction difference. For the BEAM of lower SiC fraction composites, both the SiC particles and the molten aluminum are mainly pumped and ejected by the flushing dielectric. In greater SiC fraction composites, most SiC particles are directly sublimed by heat. In addition, the mechanism of BEAM in the material removal and tool wear of SiC/Al composites was discussed based on heat transfer simulation and observation. Furthermore, the results disclosed that many chemical reactions take place during machining that have an obvious influence on the tool wear rate.