HSS and HCS Cutting Tool Material Influencing Surface Roughness in Machining of GFRP
Authors:-Dr. K N Lingaraju, Dhanushree M R, Prashanth Kumar N, Prashanth N, Vinayak Basavaraj Ganiger
Abstract-This work is concerned with the machining of Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastics (GFRP), with a primary interest in how surface roughness is affected by cutting tool materials. GFRP has found a niche in aerospace, automotive, and marine applications, and has obtained recognition for its ratio of strength to weight, resistance to corrosion, and thermal stability. Because of the peculiar structure of E-glass fibers in epoxy resin matrix systems, specific problems concerning the use of this material arise, such as delamination, fiber pull out, and wear of tools, thus requiring tailored machining techniques. The experiment compared performance between cut rods using high-speed steel (HSS) and high-carbon steel (HCS) while machining a GFRP rod (30 mm diameter, 240 mm length) using a lathe. Surface roughness parameters are Ra, Rz, Rt, Rpk, all measured by a Talysurf device. The results showed that HSS tools led to smoother surfaces and greater accuracy but that HCS tools were more economically viable for less rigorous jobs. These results touch upon the need for tool selection based on application and give some insight into further pros in terms of coatings, monitoring systems, and further sustainable machining approaches.