Material Removal Rate and Cutting Force of AlSi/10%AlN Metal Matrix Composite Material in Milling Process Using Uncoated Inserts

A machining process has been conducted to study the machining performance of aluminum silicon alloy (AlSi) metal matrix composite which has been reinforced with aluminum nitride (AlN) using the uncoated tool of inserts. Experiments were conducted at various cutting speeds, feed rates, and depths of cut, according to a fractional factorial array L9 of the Taguchi method. Statistical analysis including the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio and analysis of variance was applied to study the characteristic performance of cutting speeds, feed rates and depths of cut during the milling operation. The machining performances were observed through material removal rate and cutting force, and these measurements were analyzed using the Taguchi method. From the Taguchi analysis, it was found that a cutting speed of 300 m/min; feed rate of 0.8 mm/tooth and depth of cut of 0.4 mm were the optimum machining parameters for the material removal rate, while the cutting speed of 370 m/min; feed rate of 0.4 mm/tooth and depth of cut of 0.3 mm were the optimum machining parameters for the cutting force.