Numerical and Experimental Analysis of Material Removal and Surface Defect Mechanism in Scratch Tests of High Volume Fraction SiCp/Al Composites

A Review on Machining SiCp/Al Composite Materials

SiCp/Al composite materials are widely used in various industries such as the aerospace and the electronics industries, primarily due to their excellent material properties. However, their machinability is significantly weakened due to their unique characteristics. Consequently, efficient and precise machining technology for SiCp/Al composite materials has become a crucial research area. By conducting a comprehensive analysis of the relevant research literature from both domestic and international sources, this study examines the processing mechanism, as well as the turning, milling, drilling, grinding, special machining, and hybrid machining characteristics, of SiCp/Al composite materials. Moreover, it summarizes the latest research progress in composite material processing while identifying the existing problems and shortcomings in this area. The aim of this review is to enhance the machinability of SiCp/Al composite materials and promote high-quality and efficient processing methods.

Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Co-Electrodeposited Particulate-Reinforced Metal Matrix Composites: A Critical Review with Interfacial Aspects

Particulate-reinforced metal matrix composites (PRMMCs) with excellent tribo-mechanical properties are important engineering materials and have attracted constant scientific interest over the years. Among the various fabrication methods used, co-electrodeposition (CED) is valued due to its efficiency, accuracy, and affordability. However, the way this easy-to-perform process is carried out is inconsistent, with researchers using different methods for volume fraction measurement and tribo-mechanical testing, as well as failing to carry out proper interface characterization. The main contribution of this work lies in its determination of the gaps in the tribo-mechanical research of CED PRMMCs. For mechanical properties, hardness is described with respect to measurement methods, models, and experiments concerning CED PRMMCs. The tribology of such composites is described, taking into account the reinforcement volume fraction, size, and composite fabrication route (direct/pulsed current). Interfacial aspects are discussed using experimental direct strength measurements. Each part includes a critical overview, and future prospects are anticipated. This review paper provides an overview of the tribo-mechanical parameters of Ni-based co-electrodeposited particulate-reinforced metal matrix composite coatings with an interfacial viewpoint and a focus on hardness, wear, and friction behavior.

Study of Machining Process of SiCp/Al Particle Reinforced Metal Matrix Composite Using Finite Element Analysis and Experimental Verification

In this paper, a two-dimensional orthogonal cutting simulation model of SiCp/Al composite was established. The geometry and material constitutive model of the particle, the matrix, and the interface layer have been modeled respectively. In view of the distribution of the particles in the matrix, this paper proposed respectively a two-dimensional particle random distribution to simulate particles randomly distributed in the matrix. Then, the cutting state of SiC reinforced particles was analyzed, the novel approach was adopted the geometric shapes of SiC particles in this study is taken as an oval shape. Three different locations of SiC particle relative to the cutting tool path were simulated to analyze the cutting state such as particle removal. The interface layer was introduced to the case that the particle was on the cutting path to study the influence on the stress and strain transfer. Through the post-processing of simulation results, the influence of interface property on the composite reinforcement effect was studied quantificationally. Finally, the cutting process of SiCp/Al composite material was simulated. This paper studied the influence on the machined surface morphology, chip morphology, stress distribution, and cutting force of many factors of the cutting speed and the cutting thickness. The single factor orthogonal cutting experiment was designed the influence of cutting speed and feed rate on the cutting force. The cutting force results of the experiment and the simulation were compared through the deviation analysis, which verified the simulation model.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation on the Effect of Scratch Direction on Material Removal and Friction Characteristic in BK7 Scratching

In order to study the influence of scratch direction on the deformation characteristics and material removal mechanism of optical glass BK7, nanoscratching experiments were conducted on a Nano indenter using Vickers indenter. Results indicate that the face-forward scratch is more likely to induce the initiation and propagation of lateral cracks, which is found to be more beneficial to material removal processes; in contrast, small chips and debris are released from the machined grooves without introducing lateral cracks in the edge-forward condition, leading to poor material removal efficiency. In addition, the choice of scratch direction can make differences to the elastic recovery rate of optical glass BK7. The results revealed that both the elastic recovery rate and the residual stresses of the material under the face-forward scratching are greater than those of the edge-forward scratching. A theoretical model for coefficient of friction (COF) under different scratch directions was established. It is found that the COF between indenter and workpiece in the edge-forward scratching is larger than the face-forward scratching under otherwise identical conditions, this finding is consistent with experimental results. A stress field analysis using finite element method (FEM) was conducted to understand the different crack initiation and propagation behaviors from different scratch directions. The current study discusses the significance of scratch direction on material removal behavior of optical glass BK7, and the results would encourage further research on investigating the connections between tool geometry and material removal mechanism.

Scratch Testing of AlSi12/SiCp Composite Layer with High Share of Reinforcing Phase Formed in the Centrifugal Casting Process

The scratch test enables assessing the susceptibility of a material to the development of scratches and, being in some ways a measure of its abrasion resistance, allows extended knowledge in the field of material application usability, especially its machining capabilities. The aim of the study was to assess the resistance of a centrifugally formed AlSi12/SiC_p composite layer with a high share of reinforcing phase (V_p > 40%) to scratching with a diamond indenter. The microstructure and effect of the load applied to the diamond indenter on the scratch depth and susceptibility of the composite layer to the nucleation and propagation of cracks in hard and brittle SiC particles were analyzed. A simple model of SiC_p cracking depending on their size, shape (geometry), and orientation in relation to the direction of scratching has been proposed.