A study on the microcutting of aluminum single crystals

An orthogonal cutting test was conducted using a high-precision machine to study the characteristic phenomena in micromachining of aluminum single crystals. The results of the experiments and the analyses can be summarized briefly as follows : (1) A high-precison machine having a microdepth cutting apparatus was produced by way of trial. (2) The size effect appeared in the cutting force (Fh) when the depth of cut reached l.0 μm. (3) The alternation phenomenon appeared in the cutting force (Fh) and the chip length when the depth of cut reached above l.5 μm. (4) The alternation phenomena can reasonably be explained through the introduction of the cold-worked region model. (5) The roughness and flatness of the finished surface were affected by the cutting direction, and this information suggests that control of the specimen orientation is effective for improving the working accuracy.