Machining of Hypereutectic Aluminum Silicon Alloys

In the work presented in this paper, combined machining of hypereutectic G-AlSi17Cu4Mg with abrasive water jet turning (AWJT) as a roughing process and conventional turning as a finishing process was studied. The duration of the single processing steps was estimated and compared to the length of a conventional machining process. The tool life of AWJT of at least 10 hours combined with a material removal rate of up to 13cm3/min and low process temperatures give this cutting technology a very high potential. Furthermore the material close to the cutting surface is impacted less by the cutting process, in comparison to conventional rough turning. The results obtained showed that AWJT roughing combined with conventional finishing generates parts with high surface qualities and with further optimization may be a possible process substitution with high productivity.