An experimental study on formation mechanisms of edge defects in orthogonal cutting of SiCp/Al composites

In this study, orthogonal cutting of SiCp/Al composites with a polycrystal diamond tool has been carried out. The influences of cutting velocity, cutting depth, and tool rake angle on the cutting force and edge defects near the exit of orthogonal cutting were analyzed in detail. The research results show that the influence of the cutting depth on cutting force is most obvious, and there is a close relationship between the cutting force and the size of edge defects. At the same time, the fractographs indicated that the brittle fracture mode corresponds to the dominant failure mode during machining of SiCp/Al composites with higher volume fraction and larger SiC particle. Therefore, in the precision and super-precision manufacturing of SiCp/Al composites, with a proper tool rake angle, adopting higher cutting velocity and lower cutting depth not only can reduce the cutting force effectively but also can ensure cutting edge quality.