Machining performance of in-situ TiB₂ particle reinforced Al-based metal matrix composites: A literature review

The in-situ TiB₂ particle reinforced Al-based metal matrix composites have become a series of promising aeronautical materials due to the advanced properties such as finer evenly-distributed grains, cleaner particle-matrix interface, improved mechanical performance and strength when compared with ex-situ SiC particle reinforced Al-based metal matrix composites. However, over the last 50 years, a significant body of research has been carried out on ex-situ SiC particle reinforced Al-based metal matrix composites from material fabrication process, material property improvement, material mechanical test to machining performance such as machined surface integrity, cutting process simulation and modeling, parameter optimization and fatigue characteristics. For in-situ TiB₂ particle reinforced Al-based metal matrix composites, studies in recent years were mainly focused on the material preparation process and property development and few published works was found on the machining performance of this new kind material. Hence, this article aims to provide a general overview of recent achievement on machining performance of in-situ TiB₂ particle reinforced Al-based metal matrix composites.