Evaluation of milling characteristics of resin hybrid GFRP laminates using Taguchi approach

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report the preparation, characterisation and machinability of resin hybrid GFRP composites, which are made of glass fibre and the mixture of epoxy & polyester resin.Design/methodology/approachResin hybrid GFRP laminates containing 0, 20 and 40wt% of polyester resin with the epoxy resin are prepared by conventional hand layup technique using glass fibre as the reinforcement. The variation of break load and shear strength for three different combinations of epoxy and polyester resin are studied by ASTM. A plan of experiment based on Taguchi was established with prefixed cutting parameters and the machining was performed. A stylus type profilometer to examine the surface roughness and shop microscope to examine the delamination of resin hybrid GFRP laminates were used. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to investigate the cutting characteristics of resin hybrid GFRP composite materials using solid carbide end mill. The correlation was obtained by multiple‐variable linear regression using Minitab 14 software.FindingsTaguchi analysis reveals that the resin hybrid GFRP laminate provides better machinability in terms of surface roughness and delamination when compared to homogenous GFRP laminates (pure epoxy resin). Polyester resin enhances the machinability of the GFRP laminates.Research limitations/implicationsThe machinability of the resin hybrid GFRP laminates can be improved further by modifying the polyester resin percentage.Originality/valueThe resin hybrid GFRP laminates so developed can be used in aircraft and aerospace applications to increase the shear and work of fracture properties.