Modeling and Analysis of Surface Roughness Parameters in Drilling of Silk-glass/epoxy Composite

Abstract

In the recent past, the demand for multifunctional and lightweight materials have increased steadily creating an increase in demand for Hybrid polymer matrix composite which consists multiple fibers in conventional resins. In this study, a hybrid composite comprising of two reinforcements - natural silk fiber and E-Glass fiber - in an Epoxy resin matrix which is a partially eco-friendly composite has been fabricated and the effect of drilling, by using an 8 facet solid carbide drill, on the surface roughness has been studied. Taguchi�s L27 Orthogonal array was used for experimentation by modifying three parameters - feed rate, spindle speed and drill diameter - on three levels (low, medium and high) and thereby studying the effects. From the results of experimentation it has been observed that increase in spindle speed and drill diameter reduces surface roughness however it increases with increase in feed rate. Further, regression analysis and Fuzzy modeling are used in order to determine optimum parameter values to get the desired surface finish. Good agreement between the experimental, regression and fuzzy model is observed with the correlation coefficient of 0.9814 and 0.9677 respectively.