INVESTIGATION INTO DRY MACHINING AS ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY DRILLING OF CERAMIC REINFORCED ALUMINIUM MATRIX COMPOSITES

With growing attention being given to environmental and health hazards in machining, an eco-friendly method is a crucial need. In this study experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of cutting conditions in drilling of Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) where cutting speed, feed, SiC volume fraction were selected as process parameters while surface roughness and circularity as responses during high speed drilling of MMCs. The findings revealed that the cutting condition has a significant effect on surface roughness and circularity. The best results for the circularity were achieved in dry drilling, however, in terms of surface roughness it gives almost similar results. This experimental study reveals that dry cutting condition can be used in industrial application like drilling, especially in machining of MMCs, to avoid unnecessary application of metal working fluid and, consequently, their negative impact on the environment.