Synthesis Characterization and Multi Objective Optimization in Laser Micro drilling of Polymer Composites Reinforced with Carbon Allotropes

Abstract

Due to unique properties of low-dimension allotropes of carbon, it has been widely used in high-performance engineering applications in various forms such as graphite, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), charcoal, carbon black (CB), diamond, and fullerenes. Precision drilling of the advanced polymer matrix nanocomposites is a demanding operation owing to their promising application. To overcome the delamination, burr development, fiber pull out, and poor surface quality problems associated with traditional drilling processes, the laser beam machining (LBM) is possibly a sustainable and cost-effective viable alternative. The present experimental research examines the laser micro-drilling machinability of polymer matrix nanocomposites dispersed with conducting fillers of different carbon allotropes (CNT, graphite, and CB) to produce minimum taper and heat-affected zone (HAZ) and maximum material removal rate (MRR). The required composite specimens are synthesized via Ultrasonicator assisted compression molding method and characterized for their thermal, electrical, mechanical, and morphological properties. Then, a systematic parametric analysis is performed to explore the consequences of four distinct laser drilling parameters such as the lamp current, cutting speed, air pressure and pulse frequency on the two crucial quality measures (i.e., the taper and the HAZ) in the micro-drilling of nanocomposites. The central composite design-based response surface methodology (CRSM) is implemented for planification of experimentation. The Accelerated particle swarm optimization (APSO) and the contemporary metaheuristic Whale optimization algorithm (WOA) has been utilized to identify the optimum controllable process parameters and compared with those obtained by the desirability approach of RSM. Subsequently, the optimal parametric data set for maximum MRR, minimum taper and minimum HAZ during the laser micro-drilling of each type of currently synthesized PMCs are envisaged both in single as well as multi-objective cases.