Preparation of Micro-Pit-Textured PCD Tools and Micro-Turning Experiment on SiCp/Al Composites.

Serious tool wear occurs very often during machining due to the reinforcing phases in the workpiece. In this study, micro-pit-textures were prepared on the surfaces of PCD tools with a nanosecond laser to improve their cutting performance on SiCp/Al composites. The micro-pits were designed with rounded corners to improve the chip flow. The location and size of the texture were determined by analyzing the tool-chip contact area of the non-textured tool. The cutting performance of these textured PCD tools was investigated through orthogonal cutting experiments. It was found that the optimal cutting performance of the textured tools was achieved with the proper distance of the texture from the main cutting edge (35 µm) and the pit spacing (60 µm), aa a result of which the main cutting force reduced by about 14%, and the tool wear and surface adhesion significantly reduced. This texture was then applied in the micro-turning experiments of the PCD tool on the SiCp/Al composites. The cutting force in this experiment reduced by 22%, and the textured tool provided better chip transfer and tool anti-tipping. In this study, the role of SiC particles as a third body between the tool and the chip surface is discussed.

Experimental Study on High-Speed Milling of SiCf/SiC Composites with PCD and CVD Diamond Tools.

Silicon carbide fiber reinforced silicon carbide ceramic matrix composite (SiCf/SiC composite) is characterized by a high strength-to-density ratio, high hardness, and high temperature resistance. However, due to the brittleness of the matrix material and the anisotropy of the reinforcing phase, it is a huge challenge for machining of the material. The milling method has advantages of a high material removal rate and applicability to complex surface geometry. However, no published literature on milling of SiCf/SiC composite has been found up to now. In this paper, high-speed milling of SiCf/SiC composites was carried out under dry conditions and cryogenic cooling using liquid nitrogen, respectively. Polycrystalline diamond (PCD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond cutting tools were used for the milling work. The cutting performance of the two kinds of tools in high-speed milling of SiCf/SiC composites was studied. Tool failure modes and mechanisms were analyzed. The effects of the cooling approach on tool wear and machined surface quality were also investigated. The experimental results showed that under identical cutting parameters and cooling approaches, the PCD tool yielded better cutting performance in terms of a longer tool life and better surface quality than that of the CVD diamond tool. In dry machining, the failure modes of the CVD diamond tool were a large area of spalling on the rake face, edge chipping and severe tool nose fracture, whereas for the PCD tool, only a small area of spalling around the tool nose took place. Compared to the dry machining, the wear magnitudes of both PCD and CVD diamond tools were decreased in cryogenic machining. Additionally, the surface quality also showed significant improvements. This study indicates that the PCD tool is highly suitable for machining of SiCf/SiC composite, and that the cryogenic method can improve machining efficiency and surface quality.

Surface Quality Assessment after Milling AZ91D Magnesium Alloy Using PCD Tool.

Surface roughness is among the key indicators describing the quality of machined surfaces. Although it is an aggregate of several factors, the condition of the surface is largely determined by the type of tool and the operational parameters of machining. This study sought to examine the effect that particular machining parameters have on the quality of the surface. The investigated operation was the high-speed dry milling of a magnesium alloy with a polycrystalline diamond (PCD) cutting tool dedicated for light metal applications. Magnesium alloys have low density, and thus are commonly used in the aerospace or automotive industries. The state of the Mg surfaces was assessed using the 2D surface roughness parameters, measured on the lateral and the end face of the specimens, and the end-face 3D area roughness parameters. The description of the surfaces was complemented with the surface topography maps and the Abbott-Firestone curves of the specimens. Most 2D roughness parameters were to a limited extent affected by the changes in the cutting speed and the axial depth of cut, therefore, the results from the measurements were subjected to statistical analysis. From the data comparison, it emerged that PCD-tipped tools are resilient to changes in the cutting parameters and produce a high-quality surface finish.