Neural Simulation of Surface Generated During Magnetic Abrasive Flow Machining of Hybrid Al/SiC/B4C-MMCs

Abstract

Modern manufacturing processes like abrasive flow machining (AFM) are often employed for finishing the conventionally inaccessible surfaces that include the inner surfaces of cylindrical workpieces. This process is used for accurate prediction of the generated surfaces. As such, regression models are useful for such a prediction. In the existing AFM setup, the nylon fixture is replaced by an aluminum fixture, and a modified MAFM setup is fabricated by including the effect of magnetization. The research explores the MAFM process for finishing the hybrid metal matrix composites (MMCs) of SiC/B 4 C using aluminum-6063 as a base material. The paper employs artificial neural networks to model and simulate the response characteristics during the MAFM process, developed in the MATLAB 2016 b environment. The neural networks are trained for finishing the cylindrical components of Al/SiC/B 4 C-MMCs. A neural network having a configuration of generalized backpropagation is employed with six inputs, two outputs, and two hidden layers. The experimentally observed data take into account the influence of MAFM process parameters including the number of cycles, extrusion pressure, the concentration of abrasives, magnetic flux density, mesh size, and workpiece material. The process responses are characterized as material removal rate (MRR; μg/s) and change in surface roughness (ΔR a ; μm). Moreover, the microstructure analysis of workpiece materials is also done using scanning electron microscope.

Features of mechanical processing of aluminum alloys

“…The third reason is an abnormally high ratio of the mechanical properties of the layers of aluminum oxides and aluminum alloy, which causes a negative gradient of mechanical properties in depth in the contact zone in an environment containing an oxidizer. An analysis of existing scientific papers devoted to the research of grinding processes of aluminum alloy workpieces has shown that traditional grinding methods due to instantaneous salting of the abrasive wheel are ineffective [18]. During the grinding process, a continuous process of destruction and smoothing of the surface is carried out.…”

Investigation of Mechanical Behavior and Microstructure Analysis of AA7075/SiC/B4C-Based Aluminium Hybrid Composites

“…ey found that the porosity boosted the hardness and tensile strength of the alloy. When [7]used a traditional stir casting method to create a hybrid composite, they used an aluminium alloy containing boron carbide (B 4 C) and graphite reinforcing particles (Gr). For better strength, hardness, and wear resistance, researchers added B 4 C to the matrix, but the material became more brittle as a result.…”