A Study on Temperature Rise, Tool Wear, and Surface Roughness During Drilling of Al–5%SiC Composite

In the present study, passive infrared thermography and embedded K-type thermocouple were employed to investigate the tool and workpiece temperature during drilling of Al–5%SiC composite. The dry drilling experiments were performed based on the Taguchi’s L9 method with the mixed orthogonal array. The cutting factors in the range of 600–1200 rpm speeds, 0.07–0.17 mm/rev feed rates, and 90°–135° point angle tools were used for the drilling tests. The temperature line profile was used to explain the various stages of drilling mechanisms. The measured tool and workpiece temperature were correlated with the cutting parameters. A preliminary numerical model was used to simulate the workpiece temperature, and the simulation results were compared with the experimental value. The effect of cutting parameters on the tool temperature and surface roughness was studied by analysis of variance (ANOVA). The ANOVA result shows that the point angle and cutting speed were the significant factors to the tool temperature, while the feed rate was the most influential parameter for the surface roughness. The tool damage was measured and compared with the cutting tool temperature for different point angles. Additionally, the tool damage, workpiece damage, and chip formation were evaluated by using a scanning electron microscope.