Investigation of the Machinability Characteristics of GFRP / Epoxy Composites Using Taguchi Methodology

Abstract:

Many glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) composite components made from primary melt processes require additional machining to meet the requirements of assembly and accurate dimensional tolerances. Importance of woven fabric based glass fibre reinforced composites is widely known in many industrial applications. However, very little is known about machinability of these composites. Cutting force is treated as one of the primary measures for determining the machinability of any material.This paper presents an investigation into the longitudinal turning of woven fabric and epoxy based GFRP composites, using polycrystalline diamond tool, so as to analyze the effect of cutting parameters and insert radius on the cutting force. The force was measured through longitudinal turning, according to the experimental plan, as developed on the basis of Taguchi methodology. The signal to noise ratio and analysis of variance were applied to the experimental data, in order to determine the effect of the process variables on tangential cutting force. Statistical results indicated that the cutting force is significantly influenced (at a 95% confidence level) by feed rate, followed by depth of cut, whereas, cutting speed and insert radius have a smaller influence. The cutting force also increases with the increase in feed rate and depth of cut.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volume 612)
• Pages: 123-129
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.612.123
• Online since: August 2014
• Authors: Hari Vasudevan*, Naresh C. Deshpande, Ramesh Rajguru
• Keywords: CNC Turning, Epoxy, Machinability, Polycrystalline Diamond Tool, Taguchi Methodology, Woven Fabric

References

[1] K. Palanikumar, Cutting Parameters Optimization for Surface Roughness in Machining of GFRP Composites using Taguchi's Method, Journal of Reinforced Plastics and composites. 25 (2006) 1739-1751.

DOI: 10.1177/0731684406068445

[2] J. Paulo Davim and Francisco Mata, A new machinability index in turning fiber reinforced plastics, Journal of Materials Processing Technology. 170 (2005) 436–440.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2005.05.047

[3] K. Palanikumar and J. Paulo Davim, Assessment of some factors influencing tool wear on the machining of glass fiber-reinforced plastics by coated cemented carbide tools, Journal of Materials Processing Technology. 209 (2009) 511-519.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2008.02.020

[4] J. Paulo Davim, Leonardo R. Silva, António Festas, A.M. Abrão, Machinability study on precision turning of PA66 polyamide with and without glass fiber reinforcing, Materials and Design. 30 (2009) 228–234.

DOI: 10.1016/j.matdes.2008.05.003

[5] M. Adam Khan and A. Senthil Kumar, Machinability of glass fibre reinforced plastic (GFRP) composite using alumina-based cutting tools, Journal of Manufacturing Processes. 13 (2011) 67-73.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jmapro.2010.10.002

[6] Madhav S. Phadke, Quality Engineering Using Robust Design, P T R Prentice-Hall, New Jersey, 1989.