Chip formation mechanism during orthogonal cutting of rubber microparticles and silica nanoparticles modified epoxy polymers

Abstract The addition of well-dispersed nanoparticles can significantly increase the mechanical properties and toughness of epoxy polymers. In this study, an epoxy resin was modified by addition of silica nanoparticles, (CTBN) rubber microparticles and a combination of both. An in-situ orthogonal cutting rig combined with high magnification and high-speed imaging system was used to determine the effects on the chip formation mechanism and machining induced damage to the material. This study indicates that chip formation in silica-modified epoxy is governed by a fracture process with large cracks both at the machined surface level and subsurface within the chip formation zone. The presence of rubber enables larger plastic deformation within the epoxy-modified polymer as the toughening mechanism of the rubber deflects the generated cracks within the primary deformation zone. The magnitude of machining induced damage was found to be lower for rubber microparticles and was correlated with a rubber toughening mechanism observed during cutting. The higher magnitude of machining induced damage of silica-modified epoxy was linked to the material’s poor resistance to crack initiation and growth. These findings of the effect of rubber microparticles and silica nanoparticles on chip formation process will give engineers a greater ability to create a trade-off between filler properties vs material properties vs machining induced damage during Design for Manufacturing (DFM) stages of a product design.