Assessment of Johnson-Cook material constitutive parameters in finite element simulation of machining Al–SiC metal matrix composite

The machining of Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) poses several difficulties due to the particulate reinforcement in the matrix material owing to their unique deformation characteristics. It is necessary to model the entire process by Finite Element (FE) simulation to improve its cutting process and reduce time and cost-consuming experimental attempts. However, effective modeling relies on key inputs such as flow stress parameters, friction conditions, chip separation criteria, and fracture constants. In this work, the Johnson–Cook (JC) equation has been employed to evaluate the machining process and the same has been compared with the experimental results. Three different flow stress sets JC model were chosen to assess the machinability of silicon carbide (SiC) reinforced aluminum (Al6061) material. A two-Dimensional (2D) FE model was developed to analyze the cutting force, temperature, stress distribution and chip morphology which affect the machining performance. The developed FE model found a close correlation of cutting force by 5–13% and cutting temperature by 2–7% over Guo model parameter. Also, the simulated results for cutting force showed close correlation with actual results at high cutting speeds of 120 and 150 m/min whereas the results for cutting temperature showed close agreement at cutting speeds of 60 and 90 m/min, low feed rate 0.078 mm/rev. Daoud model results showed a serrated form of chips whereas Guo and Naik et al. model found good chip continuity which observed more like realistic deformation. Stress distribution found at its maximum at tool–particle interaction causes dislodging from matrix material. The Guo model showed a higher stress concentration followed by the Daoud and Naik model parameters.