Machinability of Metal Matrix Composites: A Review

Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) have replaced most of the conventionally used metal components in aerospace, defense, marine, automobile and medical applications due to their amazing properties. Not only the physical, mechanical and tribological characteristics but also the machining performance of the MMCs is greatly driven by the appropriate selection of reinforcing material. Owing to their preference as high volume and machine-intensive components, complete understanding of the machinability of these materials is very much vital. However, the MMCs are known to be hard to machine materials and because of the high cost associated with the cutting tools the machinability and optimization of the machining parameter is still a domain of greater interest for the researchers. The present work attempts to review the challenges and opportunities pertaining to the machining of the typical MMCs. The different manufacturing techniques, reinforcement philosophies and its influence on material properties as well as the machinability have been summarized. Moreover, the input parameters, performance measures and optimization techniques adopted by numerous researchers have also been discussed. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.