Machinability of Short Potassium Titanate Fiber Reinforced Aluminum Alloy Composites Fabricated by Squeeze Casting

摘要

Short potassium titanate fibers were selected as the reinforcements to obtain the machinable aluminum alloy composites. The composites were fabricated by squeeze casting, and the turning machinability of the composites was investigated. The whisker-reinforced composites were also fabricated to compare their properties with the fiber-reinforced composites. The cutting force was lowered by the reinforcement, and that of the fiber-reinforced composite was lower than that of the whisker-reinforced composites. The roughness of the machined surface was lowered by the reinforcement. This result and the in situ observation of cutting process indicate that the reinforcements in the composite suppress the formation of the built-up edge. Continuous chips were formed after cutting the unreinforced alloy, while serrated chips were formed after cutting the composites. Under the standard condition for the finishing cut of nonferrous metals, the composite can be machined for a long time without changing the carbide tool.