Precision finishing of nickel-phosphorus plated carbon fibre reinforced polymer

Abstract

Carbon fibre reinforced polymer is a lightweight material having superior mechanical properties and thermal stability and a promising material for light-weight mirrors for space applications. In this work, the surface of carbon fibre reinforced polymer is electroless nickel-phosphorus plated. The morphologies of the substrate and as-plated surfaces are compared. The surface roughness of the plated surface showed a significant reduction after the plating process. The elemental composition and phase of the as-plated sample are studied. The plated carbon fibre reinforced polymer surface is polished using an elastic tool with a diamond abrasive pad having grit sizes of 45 and 9 μm. The topography and the morphology of the finished surface are analysed for understanding the material removal process. A minimum Ra of 48 nm is obtained on the plated surface after 28 min of polishing. At a finishing rate of 18.17 nm/min, a 91.4% drop in Ra is achieved in comparison to a plated surface.