Kulkarni, M. V., Elangovan, K. & Hemchandra, R. K. / Mechanica Confab Vol. 1, No. 3, December 2012 2 ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECT OF ELECTROPLATING ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF CALCIUM METASILICATE REINFORCED NYLON6 COMPOSITES Mithun V. Kulkarni 1* , Elangovan K 2 , Hemachandra Reddy K 3 1 Research Scholar, JNTU College of Engineering, Anantapur-515002, AP, India. 2 Associate Professor, Cambridge Institute of Technology, Bangalore-560036, Karnataka, India. 3 Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, JNTU College of Engineering, Anantapur-515002, AP, India. *Corresponding Author: kulkarni.mithun@hotmail.com Abstract In this paper the effect of electroplating on mechanical properties of Calcium Metasilicate (CaSiO 3 ) reinforced Nylon6 composites is investigated. CaSiO 3 is one of the most useful reinforcement materials in thermoplastics and its composites, its major use being the manufacture of components in the aerospace and automotive industries. In this study, CaSiO 3 was mixed with Nylon6 granules in varying percentages ranging from 1-5%. The composites so prepared were electroplated and subjected to evaluation of mechanical composites. The beauty of this research is the materials are reinforced internally as well as externally. CaSiO 3 added acted as an internal reinforcement and the electroplating acts as an external reinforcement. Composites with 1% CaSiO 3 content showed an increase in flexural strength, tensile strength and hardness. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS), flexural strength and hardness for 1% CaSiO 3 were observed to be 60.83 MPa, 76.36 MPa and 93.4 HRR respectively. Keywords: Composites, Thermoplastics, Nylon6, Calcium Metasilicate, Electroplating 1. Introduction Wollastonite is a naturally occurring mineral used in many industrial applications. Wollastonite’s reinforcing properties, its low hydroabsorptivity, its thermal stability and conductivity, low resin demand and chemical purity makes it an ideal reinforcement in a variety of applications ranging from automotive to aerospace. A high aspect ratio wollastonite provides an increase in flexural modulus and heat distortion temperature reduces Coefficient of Linear Thermal Expansion (CLTE) and shrinkage and provides surface finish comparable to painted steel. Excellent impact resistance and elongation are achieved using a fine particle size wollastonite [8]. In plastics, wollastonite improves the durability of the composite due to its acicular or needle-like structure. It also enhances electrical insulating properties, adds fire resistance, and improves dimensional stability [4]. The beginning of commercial metal plating of plastic materials dates back to the sixties. This was the time when Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) was discovered as a basic material for an adhesively strong coating with outstanding moulding characteristics. Today, electroplating of plastics is more than ever subject to change. While the electroplating of plastics, with usually ABS and ABC/PC blends as the substrate, is applied for decorative plating techniques in the industry, functional and decorative coating of innovative materials is increasingly gaining significance. This is a great challenge for platters, since the employed basic materials cannot be coated satisfactorily using the conventional techniques (e.g. through