Finite element and experimental studies of the cutting process of SiCp/Al composites with PCD tools

In this paper, a two-dimensional orthogonal cutting experiments and simulation analysis on the machining of SiCp/Al composites with a polycrystalline diamond tool have been carried out. By using two kinds of finite element models, the cutting force and von Mises equivalent stress at different cutting conditions were studied in detail. The results indicate that the cutting speed and depth have significant effects on the cutting force, and the predicted cutting force is in agreement with that of the experiment. The von Mises equivalent stress distributions of particle and matrix at three typical cases can explain the removal mechanism of SiC particle very well, which is also consistent with that of the experimental observation.