Experimental observation and analysis of burr formation mechanisms in face milling of aluminum alloys

The purpose of this paper is to study the burr formation mechanisms in face milling process, and to investigate the influence of cutting conditions on burr formation in face milling of aluminum alloys. The fly milling cutter is used to carry out single-tooth face milling tests. Three aluminum alloys were tested: Al 1100 (cold drawn), Al 2024-T4 and Al 6061-T6. It is found that the burr geometry is strongly dependent upon the in-plane exit angle. Five types of burrs were observed in the experiments: knife-type, wave-type burr, curl-type, edge breakout and secondary burr. Formation mechanisms of each type of these burrs are discussed in details. The relationship between their existence and the machining condition is indicated. The machining guideline in face milling is given at the end of the paper to reduce burr size effectively through the formation of secondary burr.