Investigation on the Effect of SiC Nanoparticles on Cutting Forces for Micro-Milling Magnesium Matrix Composites

Magnesium Metal Matrix Composites (Mg-MMCs) with nano-sized reinforcements exhibit better mechanical properties comparing to pure Magnesium (Mg) and its alloys. However, it is challenging to improve the machinability of this kind of composites. An analytical cutting force model for the micro-milling process was developed and validated to analyze the micro-machinability of the SiC nanoparticles reinforced Mg-MMCs. This model is different from the previous ones because it encompasses the behaviors of the reinforcement nanoparticles in the three cutting regimes, i.e., shearing, ploughing and elastic recovery. The volume fraction of particles and particle size are considered as two significant factors affecting the cutting forces in this model. The effects of the reinforcement nanoparticles on cutting forces were studied through modeling and experimental validation. The simulated cutting forces show a good agreement with the experimental data. Moreover, it is indicated that the amplitude and profile of cutting forces vary with the reinforcement particle’s volume fraction. This mainly arises from the strengthening effect of SiC nanoparticles.