Effect of Machining Parameters on Milled Natural Fiber-Reinforced Plastic Composites

Natural fiber-reinforced composites are recognized as better materials for structural components due to their inherent properties. However, milling these materials presents a number of problems, such as surface delamination and surface roughness (Ra), which appear during the machining process, associated with the characteristics of the material and the cutting parameters. In order to reduce these problems we present this study with the objective of evaluating the cutting parameters (cutting velocity and feed rate) and the influence of the fibers under delamination factor (Fd) and surface roughness (Ra). An experimental plan, based on Taguchi techniques and on the analysis of variance (ANOVA), was established considering milling with prefixed cutting parameters in Natural Fiber-Reinforced Plastic (NFRP) composite materials using cemented carbide end mill. The results of NFRP composite were compared with Glass Fiber-Reinforced Plastic (GFRP) composites. The objective was to establish a model using multiple regression analysis between cutting velocity and feed rate with the delamination factor (Fd) and surface roughness (Ra) of different fiberreinforced laminates.