Subsurface damage and material removal of Al–Si bilayers under high-speed grinding using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation

By performing three-dimensional molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, the effects of the tool radius, depth of cut and grinding speed are thoroughly studied in terms of the workpiece deformation, material removal, dislocation movement, atomic trajectory, grinding temperature and average grinding force. The strength of ductile/brittle (Al/Si) bilayers is largely enhanced, because the interface can hinder the passage of dislocations. The interface in brittle/ductile (Si/Al) bilayers contributes to its ductility by increasing the movability of dislocations when gliding on it. The brittle to ductile transition of bilayers, which strongly depends on the interface debond energy, has a key role in controlling the dislocation slipping mechanism. The investigation also reveals that a larger tool radius, higher grinding speed or deeper depth of cut results in more chipping volume and higher grinding temperature in both bilayers. At the same machining parameters, the above changes in brittle/ductile (Si/Al) bilayers are more apparent than that in ductile/brittle (Al/Si) bilayers, since Si is stiffer and has a higher yield strength than Al.