Investigation of Abrasive Cutting of Ceramic Matrix Composites Based on Thin-Walled Elements Using Diamond Wire

: Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) are innovative materials used in industries such as aviation, space and automotive because of their exceptional properties. However, an incorrect choice of the cutting method for such type of material may lead to delamination of a composite structure and reduce structure strength shortening its service life. The most commonly used forms of processing these materials are laser cutting technologies, water jet cutting or electro erosive machining. This prospective study was designed to investigate the possibilities and usefulness of applying the abrasive diamond wire for cutting CMC composites, specifically composite pipes made of C/C-SiC with the Liquid Silicone Infiltration (LSI). A complex microstructure of this material translates into significant machining difficulties. This paper presents the results of the preliminary tests and describes the impact of technological parameters on surface quality, edge damage and tool behaviour and wear. Briefly, a wire-reinforced permanently with a diamond grain of 120/140 μ m was selected. The cutting speed between 5 and 15 m/s and the wire pressure for two values of 4,4 N and 5,5 N (they were selected experimentally) were used as variable parameters. Expectations for cutting effects focused on assessing edge quality (potential edge chipping), surface quality and answering the question of whether the method promotes material delamination. Preliminary results have shown that cutting with diamond wire is well suited for CMC materials and a surface quality of less than 2 μ m is fully satisfactory. It has been shown that the obtained values of surface roughness correspond to industrial conditions and are competitive or even better than for other machining technologies. Despite the initial satisfactory results, the research requires further development.

[1]  Ming Chen,et al.  Machining of SiC ceramic matrix composites: A review , 2020 .

[2]  M. Duda,et al.  Possibilities and non-standard applications of abrasive wires coated with diamonds , 2019, Mechanik.

[3]  Choon-Man Lee,et al.  A Study on the Laser-Assisted Machining of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Silicon Carbide , 2019, Materials.

[4]  Ming Chen,et al.  Experimental study on milling performance of 2D C/SiC composites using polycrystalline diamond tools , 2019, Ceramics International.

[5]  Tao Wang,et al.  Influence Factors on Grinding Force in Surface Grinding of Unidirectional C/SiC Composites , 2019, Applied Composite Materials.

[6]  D. Axinte,et al.  On understanding the microstructure of SiC/SiC Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs) after a material removal process , 2019, Materials Science and Engineering: A.

[7]  Yadong Gong,et al.  Surface topography and roughness of silicon carbide ceramic matrix composites , 2018, Ceramics International.

[8]  Y. Shin,et al.  Improved machinability of SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composite via laser-assisted micromachining , 2017 .

[9]  Jianxin Deng,et al.  Assessment in drilling of C/C-SiC composites using brazed diamond drills , 2017 .

[10]  B. Sopori,et al.  Surface characteristics and damage distributions of diamond wire sawn wafers for silicon solar cells , 2016 .

[11]  T. Ohji,et al.  Engineered Ceramics: Current Status and Future Prospects , 2016 .

[12]  Bahman Azarhoushang,et al.  Wear of non-segmented and segmented diamond wheels in high-speed deep grinding of carbon fibre-reinforced ceramics , 2014 .

[13]  Meng-Hsiu Tsai,et al.  Distribution of diamond grains in fixed abrasive wire sawing process , 2014 .

[14]  B. Sopori,et al.  Characterizing damage on Si wafer surfaces cut by slurry and diamond wire sawing , 2013, 2013 IEEE 39th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC).

[15]  M. Ramulu,et al.  Abrasive Water Jet Machining Mechanisms in Continuous-Fiber Ceramic Composites , 2001 .

[16]  Mamidala Ramulu,et al.  Machinability of High Temperature Composites by Abrasive Waterjet , 1990 .

[17]  S. Melkote,et al.  Diamond Wire Sawing of Solar Silicon Wafers: A Sustainable Manufacturing Alternative to Loose Abrasive Slurry Sawing , 2018 .

[18]  A. Neubrand,et al.  Investigation of cutting-induced damage in CMC bend bars , 2015 .

[19]  K. Oczoś.  Problemy kształtowania ubytkowego kompozytów włóknistych z osnową polimerową i ceramiczną. Cz. 1 , 2011 .

[20]  J. Fujiwara,et al.  Grinding of C/C-SiC Composite in Dry Method , 2007 .

[21]  Roberto Teti,et al.  Machining of Composite Materials , 2002 .

[22]  H. Hocheng,et al.  The Feasibility Analysis of Electrical-Discharge Machining of Carbon-Carbon Composites , 1998 .