A Comparative Study of Structural Changes in Conventional and Unconventional Machining and Mechanical Properties Evaluation of Polypropylene Based Self Reinforced Composites

Abstract

The present study addresses the mechanical behavior of polypropylene self-reinforced composites (SRC's) considering polymeric structural changes after cutting. Self-reinforced polypropylene composite is fabricated using the HOT compaction method by maintaining the processing temperature at 164ãC. Conventional and unconventional cutting methods were used to cut the samples of standard dimensions. FTIR images revealed the formation of C=C, C-F, Halogen bonds after AWJ cutting initiated a decrease in the surface roughness value to 4.5μm (Ra). SEM analysis is performed to analyse structural integrity and damage of SRC's. Structural changes formation after AWJ cutting leads to improve the ultimate tensile strength of the laminate by 20% compared to conventional cut samples. A similar trend is noticed for flexural properties and Shore-D hardness values for the SRC composite laminate correlated to polymeric changes with Conventional cutting due to the formation of C-N bond is observed after Laser cutting.