EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION ON CNC MILLING AND MECHANICAL PERFORMANCE OF FIBER COATED WIRE MESH HYBRID COMPOSITES

Abstract

In recent years, the use of natural fibers has increased in many applications, particularly in automotive industry, owing to their lightweight, high specific strength, recyclability, and ecological properties. This study aims to investigate the influence of copper filler on fiber-coated hybrid composite through mechanical and machining (CNC milling) characterization. Initially, the copper filler was characterized using the energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), particle size analysis (scanning electron microscope), and component analysis (X-ray diffraction (XRD)). Four coated natural fiber/wire mesh hybrid composite designs were developed and identified as hemp/mesh/ramie composite [HMR (1-4)]. In this work, 16 experiments were designed by central composite design (CCD) using Design Expert 13, considering the spindle speed, feed rate, and composite type as input parameters. The results indicate that copper filler particle proportion influenced the tensile strength and impact resistance of the HMR hybrid composite (16% & 15.42%). A fiber coating with a higher infill percentage reduces water absorption. The responses were estimated based on the resultant force and surface roughness, which were influenced by the weight percentage of the filler. In all the spindle speeds, the resultant forces are increased with raise in feed rates (120–600 mm/min).