Optimization of torque and thrust Force for drilling OF the spray-deposited Al–16Si–15Pb alloy 

Abstract

Al–Si–Pb alloys are considered immiscible, and their synthesis is performed by spray forming. In this work the mechanical properties of Al–Si–Pb alloys were examined by varying Pb weight fraction (x = 0, 10, 15, and 20 wt.%). SEM and EDX analyses showed coarse and spherical lead particles in the microstructure due to the high melting temperature. Furthemore, with different melting temperatures of Si and Pb, the latter surrounded the Si particles. The wettability between Si and Pb was also quite high. Different phases and zones were analyzed using XRD micrographs. The alloy with 15 wt.% of Pb (Al–Si–15Pb) exhibited better mechanical properties. The SEM images demonstrated the microstructure of well-pushed lead particles within Al intertrial gaps. The primary purpose of the presented research is to optimize the torque and thrust forces during the drilling of the alloy, exhibiting the most reliable mechanical properties among Al–16Si–xPb (x = 0, 10, 15, 20 wt.%) alloys. The drilling operation on this alloy is based on factorial design experiments done following the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Binary Based Model (BBM). The operated multi-objective Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) was applied to obtain the best combination of such drilling parameters as spindle speed, feed rate, and tool diameter based on the thrust force and torque responses. The integration of RSM and PSO allowed for predicting optimized responses. Eventually, the optimized results were applied experimentally and correlated with relative error.