Impact of MWCNT in CFRP composite during end milling process

Abstract

ABSTRACT Incorporation of nanofillers upto a certain weight percentage in polymeric matrix has been established to enhance the performance of composites. Machining is an integral part of any manufacturing process and the effect of machining on nanocomposites has been a subject of various studies. The present study investigates the influence of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT), spindle speed (SS), and feed rate (FR), on end milling performances, such as, delamination factor (DF) and surface roughness (Ra) by using the TOPSIS methodology. The investigation has showed that incorporation of MWCNTs in the CFRP composites optimizes the machining performances. The investigation, using multi-objective TOPSIS-based analysis of variance approach, showed that SS is the most governing factor, followed by FR and MWCNT wt%, which influence the overall performance of the composites. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) has been used to show the dispersion of MWCNT in the epoxy matrix. Improvisation on machining surface characteristics along with optimal performance parameters are accomplished successfully.