Drilling of Al-Mg-Cu alloys and Al-Mg-Cu/SiC composites

Metal matrix composites are widely used in engineering applications including automotive, aircraft, and military industries. In this study, different Al-4 wt%Mg-Cu alloys, and Al-4 wt%Mg-Cu/SiC composites were drilled on a vertical drilling machine using moderate speed and general purpose high-speed steel tools. The machinability parameters studied in this research were drilling forces (torque and thrust force) and surface roughness of the drilled holes. The results showed that the effect of the addition of copper as alloying element (up to 5 wt%) to Al-4 wt%Mg tends to decrease torque and thrust force. Also, it was found that the addition of SiC_P (up to 10 vol.%) to the Al-4 wt%Mg-Cu alloys had little effect on the drilling torque and thrust force, but tends to improve the surface roughness of the drilled surfaces. Moreover, the analysis of the produced chips indicates that most of the produced chips by dry drilling of aluminum-based materials were of continuous type.