Effect of Cutting Conditions on the Size of Dust Particles Generated during Milling of Carbon Fibre-Reinforced Composite Materials.

Conventional dry machining (without process media) of carbon fibre composite materials (CFRP) produces tiny chips/dust particles that float in the air and cause health hazards to the machining operator. The present study investigates the effect of cutting conditions (cutting speed, feed per tooth and depth of cut) during CFRP milling on the size, shape and amount of harmful dust particles. For the present study, one type of cutting tool (CVD diamond-coated carbide) was used directly for machining CFRP. The analysis of harmful dust particles was carried out on a Tescan Mira 3 (Tescan, Brno, Czech Republic) scanning electron microscope and a Keyence VK-X 1000 (Keyence, Itasca, IL, USA) confocal microscope. The results show that with the combination of higher feed per tooth (mm) and lower cutting speed, for specific CFRP materials, the size and shape of harmful dust particles is reduced. Particles ranging in size from 2.2 to 99 µm were deposited on the filters. Smaller particles were retained on the tool body (1.7 to 40 µm). Similar particle sizes were deposited on the machine and in the work area.

Elimination of Delamination during the Drilling of Biocomposite Materials with Flax Fibers.

The present study focuses on the elimination of delamination during the drilling of a linen-based biocomposite material in epoxy resin used for the manufacture of sports kayaks, depending on the tool material, cutting conditions, and the use of additional wooden support plates. In the present study, HSS (high-speed steel) and Carbide cutting tools without coatings, with the same geometry and two types of cutting conditions (n = 1500 rpm, fn = 0.05 and 0.1 mm/rev) were used. A Sololite-type wooden backing plate was used to aid in reducing delamination. The results show that the additional support plates significantly reduced delamination by up to 80% both at the material inlet and especially at the drill hole outlet. In this study, the use of a lower feed rate (fn = 0.05 mm/rev) per tooth was shown to have a significant effect on reducing the delamination of biocomposite materials with flax fibers, which are generally known to be difficult to machine. The Carbide cutting tool shows significantly better results both in terms of its wear and in terms of delamination of the biocomposite material. The highest delamination was obtained without the use of a backing board at the tool exit after 50 drilled holes of 3509 µm. With the use of a backing board, this delamination decreased to 693 µm after 50 drilled holes.

Destruction of Carbon and Glass Fibers during Chip Machining of Composite Systems.

Composite materials with carbon and glass fibers in an epoxy matrix are widely used systems due to their excellent mechanical parameters, and machining is a standard finishing operation in their manufacture. Previous studies focused exclusively on the characteristics of the fibers released into the air. This work aimed to analyze the nature of the material waste that remains on the work surface after machining. The dust on the work surface is made up of fibers and a polymer matrix, and due to its dimensions and chemical stability, it is a potentially dangerous inhalable material currently treated as regular waste. The smallest sizes of destroyed carbon fibers were generated during drilling and grinding (0.1 µm), and the smallest glass fiber particles were generated during milling (0.05 µm). Due to their nature, carbon fibers break by a tough fracture, and glass fibers by a brittle fracture. In both cases, the rupture of the fibers was perpendicular to or at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the fibers. The average lengths of destroyed carbon fibers from the tested processes ranged from 15 to 20 µm and 30 to 60 µm for glass fibers.

Formation of Nanostructure during Replication of a Hierarchical Plant Surface.

Plant and animal surfaces have become a model for preparing special synthetic surfaces with low wettability, reflectivity, or antibacterial properties. Processes that lead to the creation of replicas of natural character use two-step imprinting methods. This article describes a technique of synthetic polymer surface preparation by the process of two-stage imprinting. The laboratory-prepared structure copies the original natural pattern at the micrometer and sub-micrometer levels, supplemented by a new substructure. The new substructure identified by the scanning electron microscope is created at the nanometer level during the technological process. The nanostructure is formed only under the conditions that a hierarchical structure forms the surface of the natural replicated pattern, the replication mold is from a soft elastomeric material, and the material for producing the synthetic surface is a polymer capable of crystallizing. A new nanometer substructure formation occurs when the polymer cools to standard laboratory temperature and atmospheric pressure.