Research on the characteristics of the cutting force in the vibration cutting of a particle-reinforced metal matrix composites SiCp/Al

In this paper, turning experiments on the machining of composites SiCp/Al with a polycrystal diamond (PCD) tool have been carried out. The cutting force characteristics in ultrasonic vibration turning compared with those in common turning were studied. Through single factor experiments and multiple factor orthogonal experiments, the influences of three cutting parameters, namely cutting velocity, amount of feed and cutting depth, on the cutting force were analyzed in detail. At the same time, according to the experimental data, an empirical equation for the main cutting force in ultrasonic vibration turning was deduced. The research results indicate that: (1) ultrasonic vibration turning possesses a much lower main cutting force than that in common turning when adopting smaller cutting parameters, but if using larger cutting parameters, the difference will become inconspicuous; (2) there are remarkable differences of cutting force–cutting velocity characteristics in ultrasonic vibration turning and those in common turning, mainly because a built-up edge does not emerge in ultrasonic turning, unlike common turning in the corresponding velocity range; (3) in ultrasonic vibration cutting, the influence of the cutting velocity on the cutting force is most obvious among three cutting parameters explored the influence of the feed being the smallest, thus adopting lower cutting velocity and larger cutting depth not only can reduce the cutting force effectively but also can ensure cutting efficiency; (4) the conclusions are useful in the precision and super-precision manufacturing of thin-wall pieces.