Analysis of surface roughness parameters in turning of FRP tubes by PCD tool

Fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) composite materials are used in many engineering field because of its good properties such as high strength, high stiffness, low weight, corrosion resistance, etc. Because of its properties and uses in different manufacturing sectors, it is necessary to carryout the machining tests. This paper presents a study of influence of cutting parameters on surface roughness parameters such as R-a, R-t, R-q, R-p and R-3z in turning of glass fibre reinforced composite materials. Empirical models are developed to correlate the machining parameters with surface roughness. Analysis of experimental results is carried out through area graphs and three-dimensional surface plots. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.