Assessment of cutting forces and hole quality in drilling Al2024 aluminium alloy: experimental and finite element study

Machining experiments were conducted to evaluate the impact of cutting parameters on the hole quality and cutting forces in drilling Al2024-T3 aerospace alloy. Al2024-T3 specimen were drilled using Φ6-mm TiAlN-coated carbide twist drills under dry cutting conditions. The hole quality was inspected in terms of its surface roughness, burr and chip formations, hole size, circularity error and post-machining microhardness of the subsurface of the holes. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was carried out to determine the percentage contribution of cutting parameters on cutting forces and the inspected hole quality parameters. A three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) model of drilling Al2024-T3 is developed using Abaqus/Explicit to predict thrust force and torque. The FE model was validated using experimental results and found to be in good agreement. The results of the study showed that the cutting parameters have a significant impact on cutting forces and inspected hole quality parameters. Drilling at feed rates of 100 and 300 mm/min and spindle speeds of 1000, 3000, and 6000 rpm are recommended for producing holes with smaller surface roughness, deviation from nominal hole size, circularity error and burrs.