Trans Tech Publications, Solid State Phenomena, (188), p. 150-157, 2012
DOI: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/ssp.188.150
Full text: Unavailable
The use of composite materials such as carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) has grown considerably in recent years, especially in aerospace, automotive, sports and construction industries. The properties such as high strength and stiffness, low weight, excellent fatigue and corrosion resistance have made them a useful material for light-weight applications. Though parts made from CFRP are often manufactured to a near-net shape, various machining processes such as drilling, can be used to facilitate assembly of structures. Drilling CFRPs involve penetrating through several plies of laminate, which causes high stresses and strains in the vicinity of the drilled hole. Thus, the machining process not only affects the overall hole quality but also initiates discrete damage phenomena such as micro-cracking, matrix burning; delamination and fiber pull out in the specimen. Moreover, the cutting edges of a drill wear dramatically out due to presence of highly abrasive fibers in the matrix, resulting in increased thrust forces that can cause interply delamination.