Finite element analysis and experimental study on the cutting mechanism of SiCp/Al composite in laser ultrasonic elliptic vibration turning

Abstract

SiCp/Al composites have excellent material properties and are increasingly being used in the aerospace, military, and electronic packaging industries. However, the inhomogeneity and non-conductivity of conventional turning (CT) results in poor material surface quality and high cutting forces, which seriously hinder the application of particlereinforced metal matrix composites. The thermal softening property of laser-assisted turning (LAT) and the intermittent cutting property of two-dimensional (2D) ultrasonic elliptical vibratory turning (UEVT) offer unique advantages in improving material surface quality. Therefore, a novel laser ultrasonic elliptical vibratory turning (LUEVT) machining technique is proposed to improve the machining of SiCp/Al composites with two different volume fractions. The effect of highfrequency intermittent machining on material processing was further investigated by adjusting the pulsed laser power. Finite element modelling was used to predict the machining state, surface roughness, and chip morphology between the workpiece and the PCD tool. The effects of varying the machining parameters during the experiment on the two composites were analysed. The results showed that the LUEVT of 25 % and 45 % SiCp/Al composites were reduced by 39.3 % and 30.7 % respectively compared to the CT cutting forces. The experiments verified the consistency of the surface roughness and chip morphology with the finite element simulation results. The stability of the cutting force during the cutting process is also improved, as the material removal process mainly takes the form of small particle fragmentation and matrix encapsulation.