Abstract
Graphite-based Teflon composites find various applications in many engineering fields. For certain applications, the use of composites rather than metals has in fact resulted in savings of both cost and weight. The usage in many fields demands several machining operations to be performed on engineering polymers. The paper deals with two different materials: polytetrafluoroethylene with regenerated graphite (PTFE GR) and polytetrafluoroethylene with 32% carbon and 3% graphite (PTFE CG 32-3). At the beginning of the study it was performed an advanced characterization for both materials that have been used: PTFE GR and PTFE CG 32-3. The chemical composition was determined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Complementary information about the chemical structure is obtained with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). This combination of spectroscopic methods was used to establish individual differences between the chemical structures for the used materials. Second part of the present paper investigates the effect cutting parameters on the cutting force in the turning of PTFE GR and PTFE CG 32-3 materials. The effects of different parameters on cutting force are analyzed and presented in this study. This paper presents that the success of the machining operation is affected by the chemical structure of the work material. Keywords: engineering polymers, spectroscopy analysis, cutting force, turning