Study on the surface quality of 10% vol Mg2Si/Al composites after solution treatment

Purpose To improve the surface quality of Mg2Si/Al composites after solution treatment, the formation mechanism of surface defects under milling machining conditions is investigated to reduce the surface roughness. Design/methodology/approach This paper analyzes the formation mechanism of surface defects on Mg2Si/Al composites under micro-milling conditions by establishing a two-dimensional finite element simulation model. Response surface (Box–Behnken) experiments are designed to establish a prediction model for surface roughness, and an analysis of extreme variance is used to investigate the effects of milling depth (ap), spindle speed (vs) and feed rate (vf) on surface quality. NSGA-II multi-objective optimization algorithm is used to optimize the process parameters by considering surface roughness and milling efficiency. Experiments are also applied to verify the relationship between surface defects and particle damage. The effect of depth of cut on surface defects is also investigated. Findings There are few studies on solid solution treated Mg2Si/Al composites. Solid solution treated Mg2Si/Al composites have excellent material properties without changing the original shape of the material, and they are indispensable and critical materials in the fields of aerospace, energy, electronic information and energy transportation. Originality/value This study elucidates the formation mechanism of surface damage in Mg2Si/Al composites, optimizes reasonable process parameters and provides technical guidance for its milling processing. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-08-2024-0309/