Title: Experimental investigation on the machinability of SiC nano-particles reinforced magnesium nanocomposites during micro-milling processes

Authors: Juan Li; Jian Liu; Jinling Liu; Yingfeng Ji; Chengying Xu

Addresses: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816, USA ' Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816, USA ' Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816, USA ' Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816, USA ' Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816, USA

Abstract: This paper experimentally investigates the machinability of magnesium metal matrix composites (Mg-MMCs) with high volume fractions of SiC nano-particles using micro-milling process. The nanocomposites containing 5 vol.%, 10 vol.% and 15 vol.% reinforcements of SiC nano-particles were studied and compared with pure magnesium. The milling was carried out at different feedrates and spindle speeds chosen according to design of experiment (DOE) method. Cutting forces, surface morphology and surface roughness were measured to understand the machinability of the four different materials. Based on response surface methodology (RSM) design, experimental models and related contour plots were developed to build a connection between material properties and cutting parameters. Those models can be used to predict the cutting force, the surface roughness, and then optimise the machining conditions with the required cutting forces and surface roughness. [Received 8 June 2011; Revised 21 November 2011; Accepted 3 March 2012]

Keywords: magnesium nanocomposites; nanoparticle reinforcement; machinability; micro end milling; cutting optimisation; metal matrix composites; micromilling; micromachining; silicon carbide nanoparticles; nanotechnology; feedrate; spindle speed; design of experiments; DOE; cutting force; surface morphology; surface roughness; surface quality; response surface methodology; RSM.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMR.2013.051840

International Journal of Manufacturing Research, 2013 Vol.8 No.1, pp.64 - 84

Published online: 29 Jan 2014 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article