Abstract
The wire electrical discharge machining behaviour of alumina particle and short fibre reinforced aluminium based composites was studied. Under the two cutting conditions of this study, namely coarse and fine cutting, the average surface roughness Raof the particle reinforced composite was found always to be higher than that of the corresponding machined matrix surfaces, however, the opposite was found to be true for the fibre reinforced composite. Comparing the surface quality of the two composites, in terms of roughness measurements, the fibre reinforced composite was superior to the particle reinforced composite. Although cutting conditions have little effect on the overall Raof the two composites, their corresponding surface topographies were found to be intrinsically different. Surface banding was observed on the fine cut surfaces of the particle reinforced specimens, which was believed to be caused by shifting of the wire. Based on the machined surface morphology and the measured surface profiles, the material removal mechanism for the two reinforced composites is discussed.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 831-835 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Materials Science and Technology |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 1996 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Mechanics of Materials
- Mechanical Engineering