Some studies on drilling of hybrid metal matrix composites based on Taguchi techniques

Drilling is a metal removal process and is important for the final fabrication stage prior to application. This paper discusses the influence of cutting parameters on drilling characteristics of hybrid metal matrix composites (MMCs)-Al2219/15SiCp and Al2219/15SiCp-3Gr. The composites are fabricated using stir casting method. The Taguchi design of experiments and analysis of variance (ANOVA) are employed to analyze the drilling characteristics of these composites. The experiments were conducted to study the effect of spindle speed and feed rate on feed force, surface finish and burr height using solid carbide multifacet drills of 5 mm diameter. The results reveal that the dependent variables are greatly influenced by the feed rate rather than the speed for both the composites. The ceramic-graphite reinforced composite has better machinibility than those reinforced with SiCp composites. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.