wpc control sample

Surface roughness after cutting of the wpcfiber plastic composite materials is more similar to solid wpc than was the tool wear. In fact, some of the materials tested had a smoother surface after cutting than did the wpc control sample (white pine). Others, especially the ones that wore the knife heavily, had slightly rougher surfaces than the control sample. Potentially, the moisture uptake of the wpcfibers in the composite materials could lead to a rougher surface after cutting due to swelling.

However, no investigation into this theory was conducted. Further research is needed to substantiate these findings and to explain the phenomena observed. Also, without a doubt, a better understanding of the necessary process parameters to cut these materials will lead to improved results with respect to tool wear and surface roughness. SANDING PROPERTIES ASSESSMENT Introduction In the wpc products industries, sanding is used to create smooth surfaces for semi-finished or finished deck materials composite products by means of coated abrasives using either hand or machine operations (5). The abrasive action of the edges of the abrasive grain leads to a smooth, regular surface (2). Since the quality of the sanding operation is readily visible on the finished product and little or no opportunity exists to improve the quality of the surface after sanding, sanding is correctly considered as a crucial operation for the quality of a product.

Carrano (2) classified sanding into [1] "white sanding", which refers to all sanding operations that are done on the original material, prior to applying any finishing; and [2] "finish sanding", which refers to all sanding operations used to improve the quality and performance of the finishing materials applied. The goal of this research was to describe the characteristics and behavior of four different composite lumber decking materials during sanding. A series of tests was undertaken to measure the material removal rate, the roughness of the sanded surface of the test specimens and the life of the sanding belts employed. Experimental Measurements and Analysis: Three variables were selected to be measured, material removal rate (MRR in lb/min), material surface roughness (µin), and belt life (min).

The material removal rate was determined by weighing the wpcfiber-plastic piece before and after each machining cycle. A machining cycle is defined as the time a piece is subjected to the machining process between two weight measurements. For this sanding study, a machining composite lumber in canada cycle was set at one minute. The surface roughness was measured by using a stylus-type profilometer. The belt life was determined by repeating the sanding process until the weight difference before and after a machining cycle was no greater than 0.002 pounds for at least 3 consecutive measurements. Two repetitions of the tests were performed. The average of these two repetitions is stated here. Further replications and statistical analysis will be done in the future.