Study of machinability characteristics of ceramic reinforced polymer composites

Abstract

This study investigates the machinability of hybrid polymer ceramic composites (PCCs) using abrasive jet machining (AJM). Composite samples were fabricated by incorporating barium titanate (BT: BaTiO₃) and calcium copper titanate (CCT: CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂) in varying ratios (BT: CCT = 100:0, 60:40, 50:50, 40:60, 0:100) within an epoxy resin matrix (20:80). As BT was substituted with CCT, density decreased and porosity by 11.66% and 28.85%, respectively. A 60:40 BT-CCT blend improved tensile strength, flexural strength, impact resistance, and microhardness by 12.26%, 46.72%, 21.74%, and 27.41%, respectively. Machinability evaluation was conducted using 150-micron SiC abrasives in an AJM system by following Taguchi’s method. The rate of material removal (RMR) and surface roughness (Ra) were analyzed across five PCC compositions, varying pressure (2–6 bar) and standoff distance (2–6 mm). ANOVA determined the significance of control factors, and optimal machining settings were identified that improved RMR and Ra through 3.7998% and 0.8651%. The desirability approach in Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was employed for individual and combined optimization of machining parameters, with confirmatory tests validating performance enhancements. A high degree of accuracy is observed with 1.187% and 1.079% deviation between predicted and actual values for RMR for Ra.