Evaluation of the cutting force, burr formation, and surface quality during the machining of carbon nanoparticle modified polymer composites for structural applications

The damages and imperfections in the drilled holes might cause excessive strains on the rivet and lead to as-sembly failure. One of the most common forms of damage in machined Carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites is the burr formation and irregular machined surface. This current study investigates the effect of different loading of reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO) nanoflakes in modified CFRPs on the quality indices of drilled holes, including burr formation at the exit, surface roughness, and cutting forces. The Box-Behnken experimental design (BBD) was employed to conduct the drilling investigation on rGO-modified CFRP (CF/rGO) nano-composite. The samples were prepared at three different (0.5,1.0,1.5%) weight fractions of rGO nanofiller ma-terial, and the effect of varying parameters, like drilling speed and feed rate was investigated. Digital image processing (DIP) was utilized to examine the factors contributing to burr formation at the exit of drilled holes, as measured by the Burr Area Factor (BAF). The analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that the rGO wt% and feed rate is the most prominent parameter while the drilling process. The optimal parametric condition was obtained as rGO wt% = 1.0%, Drill speed = 1800 rpm, and feed rate = 60 mm/min, while the optimum responses resulted in Thrust force = 36.716 N, Torque = 0.181 Nm, Surface Roughness = 1.120 mu m, and Burr area factor = 0.108. In addition, these results demonstrated that a moderate rGO wt% loading, a higher drill speed, and a lower feed rate could produce the minimal Thrust force, Torque, Surface Roughness, and Burr area factor simultaneously. Further, the Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) findings were used to evaluate the outcomes of the optimum setting.