EFFECT OF MICROWAVE TREATMENT ON WC INSERTS FOR DRILLING OF GFRP COMPOSITES

ABSTRACT

Due to excellent properties such as high specific strength, high specific modulus, and corrosion resistance, Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastics (GFRP) find wide applications particularly in the aerospace and automotive industries. In order to fabricate structural components of GFRP to near-nett shape, machining of GFRP composites is necessary. Drilling is the most common machining operation for GFRP composites. The fiber pull-out, cracking of matrix during the entry and exit of drill, rapid tool wear, and hole shrinkage are problems associated with machining of GFRP. The present study attempts an innovative idea of improving the cutting performance of Tungsten carbide (WC) inserts (K-20) by post-sintering using microwave irradiation.

Keywords:

• Microwave Heating
• Force Measurement
• Tool Wear
• Acoustic Emission (AE)
• Complex Carbide
• Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
• X-ray Diffraction (XRD)