Machinability Study of Al-5Cu-TiB2 In-situ Metal Matrix Composites Fabricated by Flux-assisted Synthesis

In-situ composites are multiphase materials where the reinforcing phase is synthesized by a chemical reaction. The reinforcement generated by this route is very small in size and homogeneously distributed in the matrix. Adoption of the engineering application of this material requires a systematic study of machinability characteristics. This work is an attempt to understand the machinability behavior of the Al-5Cu-TiB 2 in-situ metal matrix composites fabricated by Flux-assisted Synthesis. The focus of this study is to investigate the effect of the cutting speed and feed rate on flank wear, cutting force, and surface roughness. The contribution of this paper is to study the influence of in-situ-formed TiB 2 reinforcement on the machinability of Al-5Cu alloy. It was found that the increase in cutting speed increased the flank wear, reduced the cutting force, and minimized the surface roughness. Increase in the feed rate increased the flank wear, cutting force, and surface roughness. A higher reinforcement ratio increased the tool wear, reduced the cutting force, and increased the surface roughness. These findings can provide suitable machining parameters in turning of Al-5Cu-TiB 2 in-situ metal matrix composites.