Measurement and analysis of temperature, thrust force and surface roughness in drilling of AA (6351)-B4C composite

In the present study, the drilling is performed on AA (6351)-B4C composite to analyze the influence of cutting parameters on temperature, thrust force and surface roughness. The TiN coated carbide drill tools with varying point angle such as 90°, 118° and 135° are used to conduct the experiments. Initially, the temperature rise during drilling and the effect of temperature on the chip formation are investigated by contact and non-contact measurement techniques. The reduced temperature is achieved at lower spindle speed and feed rate conditions. However, the improper selection of point angle leads to tool wear and produces poor surface finish. In addition, the thrust force generation and the delamination of the drill holes are assessed by varying the input process parameters. The thrust force is low while drilling with 135° point angle tool, but produced higher delamination. Finally, the surface roughness is examined and the Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM) images are utilized to observe the drill hole surface morphology of the composite.