Experimental and FEM study of cutting mechanism and damage behavior of ceramic particles in orthogonal cutting SiCp/Al composites

To study the removal mechanism and damage behavior during the machining of ceramic particle-reinforced metal matrix composites, a finite element model (FEM) comprehensively considering the distribution and shape of the particles and the damage behavior of ceramic particles is established. Corresponding experiments are conducted to demonstrate the reliability of FEM. The results demonstrate that chips are easy to separate where the particles gather. The stress concentration is serious at the edges and corners of the particles. The cutting and thrust force, subsurface damage, surface roughness and maximum profile peak-valley height increase with the increase of depth of cut. Voids, particle fracture, particle peeling off, matrix tearing and interface failure are the main surface defects. Moreover, according to the failure mode and mechanism of ceramic particles, the positional relationships between the ceramic particles and the tool are divided into three categories: the particle is below, on and above the cutting path.