Finite element analysis of ultrasonic assisted milling of SiCp/Al composites

SiCp/Al composites have a poor machinability due to the inclusion of the SiC hard particles. Ultrasonic vibration-assisted processing technology has great advantages in processing hard and brittle materials; however, the process of rupture of particles cannot be effectively observed during the test processing, and a large number of tests increase the cost of the test. Using ABAQUS finite element software, a two-dimensional simulation model of single particle, multi-particle, and homogeneous materials was established to investigate the particle rupture process and the temperature variation during the processing of high volume SiCp/Al composites under different processing parameters. The results show that the application of ultrasound improved the particle rupture effect. Furthermore, an appropriate ultrasonic amplitude inhibited the particle breakage and slowed the crack growth. A smoother particle breaking phenomena was observed with the application of a higher frequency. The temperature of ultrasonic assisted milling was found to be lower than that of traditional milling. The conclusions of the milling test were basically consistent with the simulation results, which prove the correctness and feasibility of the simulation results.