Analysis of chip breaking during orthogonal machining of Al/SiCp composites

With the advent of large number of composite materials, a systematic study of machining characteristics of these new materials is necessary for their rapid adoption in the actual engineering applications. This paper is an attempt to understand the machining characteristics of Al/SiCp composite material, which is the most widely used and projected to have large application in the near future. A detailed study of fundamental aspects of chip formation during orthogonal machining is carried out. From the visual observation of the physical form of chips, a systematic chip breaking pattern was observed. Also, the chip breaking phenomenon was related to the mechanical properties of composites by a chip breaking criterion. An understanding of chip curling and breaking can be very helpful in designing cutting tools with constrained chip flow space (like drills, taps, broaches, etc.).