Journal of Applied Sciences1812-56541812-5662Asian Network for Scientific Information10.3923/jas.2012.2360.2367AzmiA. I.1220121223Since the inception of their wide use in the 1960s, advanced
composite materials such as Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composites have seen
an exponential growth in application for various engineering fields. FRP composites
are normally produced near to net-shape, yet they are often subjected to final
machining processes in order to meet the required geometric features and dimensional
accuracies. Hence, this paper describes the use of Taguchi orthogonal array
coupled with the Grey relational analysis to facilitate the optimisation of
multiple machinability characteristics during end milling of Glass Fibre Reinforced
Polymer (GFRP) composites. Based on the results of Taguchi experiments, the
Grey relational grade was determined from the Grey analysis to solve the multiple
machinability characteristics of tool life, machining forces and surface roughness.
The results suggested that feed rate have the most significant influence on
the multiple machinability characteristics. Confirmation test revealed that
the Taguchi-Grey analysis can be effectively used to determine the multiple
machinability characteristics and consequently improve the end milling of GFRP
composites.]]>Azmi, A.I., R.J.T. Lin and D. Bhattacharyya,20122012115Bhattacharrya, D., M.N. Allen and S.J. Mander,19938631651Davim, J.P., P. Reis and C.C. Antonio,200464493500Davim, J.P. and P. Reis,2005160160167Deng, J.L.,19891124Everstine G.C. and T.G. Rogers,1971594106Hsiao, Y.F., Y.S. Tarng and W.J. Huang,2007235158Hocheng, H., H.Y. Puw and Y. Huang,19934103108Hocheng, H. and H.Y. Puw,19938717729Kumar, A.V. and K. Balachandar,20121212551264Lin, C.L.,200419209220Murugesan, S. and K. Balamurugan,201212963970Palanikumar, K., L. Karunamoorthy and R. Karthikeyan,200627862871Palanikumar, K., L. Karunamoorthy and N. Manoharan,200625407419Palanikumar, K., L. Karunamoorthy and R. Karthikeyan,200621846852Palanikumar, K.,2008361927Park, S.A.,19961st Edn.,Tsao, C.C.,2009404148