Relationship between cutting force and PCD cutting tool wear in machining silicon carbide reinforced aluminium

This paper presents a study of the relationship between cutting forces and tool wear of polycrystalline diamond (PCD), measured when machining the com posite A356/20/SiCp-T6 (aluminium with 7.0% silicon, 0.4% magnesium reinfor ced with 20 vol.% particles of silicon carbide (SiC); heat treatment: solut ionising and ageing T6 for 5 h at 154 degrees C). The experimental work was developed considering the drilling and turning operations, through the con tinuous measurement of the cutting forces with appropriate piezoelectric dy namometers. The wear type was identified and its evolution with cutting tim e was measured. The wear mechanism was analysed by a scanning electron micr oscope (SEM). We tested drills and turning inserts with PCD. In turning, co rrelations were obtained between the evolution of flank wear of the insert and the feed and depth forces. Similar correlations have been obtained in d rilling between the evolution of flank wear of the drills and the feed forc e. It was verified that this can be an indirect method of monitoring the we ar of the inserts and drills. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights res erved.