A Numerical Analysis of Ductile Deformation during Nanocutting of Silicon Carbide via Molecular Dynamics Simulation

As a typical third-generation semiconductor material, silicon carbide (SiC) has been increasingly used in recent years. However, the outstanding performance of SiC component can only be obtained when it has a high-quality surface and low-damage subsurface. Due to the hard-brittle property of SiC, it remains a challenge to investigate the ductile machining mechanism, especially at the nano scale. In this study, a three-dimensional molecular dynamics (MD) simulation model of nanometric cutting on monocrystalline 3C-SiC was established based on the ABOP Tersoff potential. Multi-group MD simulations were performed to study the removal mechanism of SiC at the nano scale. The effects of both cutting speed and undeformed cutting thickness on the material removal mechanism were considered. The ductile machining mechanism, cutting force, hydrostatic pressure, and tool wear was analyzed in depth. It was determined that the chip formation was dominated by the extrusion action rather than the shear theory during the nanocutting process. The performance and service life of the diamond tool can be effectively improved by properly increasing the cutting speed and reducing the undeformed cutting thickness. Additionally, the nanometric cutting at a higher cutting speed was able to improve the material removal rate but reduced the quality of machined surface and enlarged the subsurface damage of SiC. It is believed that the results can promote the level of ultraprecision machining technology.