Analysis of Force, Temperature, and Surface Roughness during End Milling of Green Composites

The use of biodegradable or green composites has been increasing exponentially due to the growing environmental concern. Though these composites are fabricated to near-neat shape but milling is an unavoidable machining operation that is required for removing undesired material to meet the design necessities. In this study, the milling behavior of green composites (polylactic acid/bamboo) fabricated using compression molding has been extensively studied by investigating the induced forces, temperature, and surface roughness. The process parameters of milling operation such as spindle speed (500, 710, 1400, and 2000 RPM), feed rate (80, 112, 160, and 224 mm/min), depth of cut (0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 mm), and milling cutters (slot and end mill cutters) have been optimized through Taguchi analysis for obtaining minimum milling-induced forces, temperature, and surface roughness. The relative significance of each process parameter has also been found through the analysis of variance. Milling cutter and depth of cut are the two parameters found to have significant contributions in determining the quality of the milling surface. Lower milling-induced force, temperature, and surface roughness can be obtained by selecting a lower depth of cut and end mill cutter during the milling of green composites.

Automated summary

This study extensively investigated the milling behavior of green composites fabricated using compression molding, optimizing the process parameters of milling operation and identifying two significant parameters affecting the quality of the milling surface. Lower milling-induced force, temperature, and surface roughness can be achieved by selecting a lower depth of cut and end mill cutter during the milling of green composites.