Title: An experimental investigation during finishing of particulate reinforced Al/10 wt% SiC_p-MMC on developed AFF setup

Authors: Harlal Singh Mali; Alakesh Manna

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, JLN Marg, Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur, Jaipur – 302017, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Secto-12, PEC University of Technology Chandigarh, Chandigarh – 160012, India

Abstract: This paper presents the improved results of an experimental investigation during abrasive flow finishing (AFF) of particulate reinforced aluminium silicon carbide metal matrix composite (Al/SiC_p-MMC). The influence of AFF process parameters, e.g., abrasive mesh size, number of cycles, extrusion pressure, percentage of abrasive concentration and media viscosity grade on arithmetic mean value of surface roughness height (R_a, µm) and maximum peak-valley surface roughness height (R_t, µm) have been investigated. Experimental results show that the achieved R_a is as low as 0.005 µm and improvement in surface finish over conventional machining, i.e., reaming is 96.07%. Mathematical models for R_a and R_t are developed for proper selection of the to AFF process parameters. From the test results and SEM micrographs of the workpiece samples before and after AFF, suitable range of process parameters can be selected to achieve better surface finish. Taguchi method-based experimental design, L₁₈ (6¹ × 3⁷) mixed orthogonal array, S/N ratios are employed to identify the optimal parametric combinations for minimum R_a and R_t. This paper also attempts to explain the basic mechanism of material removal during AFF of Al/10 wt% SiC_p-MMC.

Keywords: abrasive flow finishing; AFF; Al/10 wt% SiCp-MMC; surface roughness height; material removal rate; MRR; surface quality; silicon carbide; aluminium; metal matrix composites; MMCs; surface finish; Taguchi methods; experimental design; orthogonal arrays.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMTM.2014.064627

International Journal of Manufacturing Technology and Management, 2014 Vol.28 No.1/2/3, pp.114 - 131

Received: 09 Apr 2013
Accepted: 10 Jan 2014
Published online: 10 Sep 2014 *

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