Drilling analysis of chopped composites

This work investigates the effects of the drilling parameters, speed, and feed, on the required cutting forces and torques in drilling chopped composites with different fiber volume fractions. Three speeds, five feeds, and five fiber volume fractures are used in this study. The results show that feeds and fiber volumes have direct effects on thrust forces and torques. On the other hand, increasing the cutting speed reduces the associated thrust force and torque, especially at high feed values. Using multivariable linear regression analysis, empirical formulas that correlate favorably with the obtained results have been developed. These formulas would be useful in drilling chopped composites. The influence of cutting parameters on peel-up and push-out delaminations that occurs at drill entrance and drill exit respectively the specimen surfaces have been investigated. No clear effect of the cutting speed on the delamination size is observed, while the delamination size decreases with decreasing the feed. Delamination-free in drilling chopped composites with high fiber volume fraction remains as a problem to be further investigated.     

Dynamic response of multidirectional composites in hygrothermal environments

Drilling is an essential operation in the assembly of the structural frames of automobiles and aircrafts. The life of the joint can be critically affected by the quality of the drilled holes. The main objective of the present paper is to investigate the influence of some parameters on the thrust force, torque and surface roughness in drilling processes of fiber-reinforced composite materials. These parameters include cutting speed, feed, drill size and fiber volume fraction. The quasi-isotropic composite materials were manufactured from randomly oriented glass fiber-reinforced epoxy, with various values of fiber volume fractions (V_f), using hand-lay-up technique. Two components drill dynamometer has been designed and manufactured to measure the thrust and torque during the drilling process. The dynamometer was connected with a data acquisition, which installed in a PC computer. This set-up enable to monitor and record the thrust force and torque with the aid of a computer program that designed using Lab View utilities.

The results indicate that the start point of torque cycle is delayed by few seconds (depending on the value of feed) than the thrust force. This time is consumed to penetrate the specimen by chiseling edge. After the thrust force reached its maximum value it is gradually decreased during the full engagement of the drill and goes to zero when both the chisel edge and the cutting lips have exit of the laminate. In contrast the torque was gradually increased up to the end of the cycle and sudden jump to a value about 10 times the peak value. Cutting speed has insignificant effect on the thrust force and surface roughness of epoxy resin. For glass fiber-reinforced epoxy composites (GFREC) with V_f=9.8–23.7% the thrust force and torque were decreased with increasing cutting speed. On contrast increasing feed, drill size and fiber volume fractions lead to increase the thrust force and torque. The drilled holes of GFREC with lower V_f ratio at lower feed have greater roughness than that drilled at higher feed. Specimens with high V_f ratio have a contrary behavior. Drill diameter combined with feed has a significant effect on surface roughness.     

硬质合金台阶钻结构参数及钻削工艺参数对CFRP开孔性能的影响

基于VMC850B立式加工中心和UltraPAC超声C-扫描仪,搭建了碳纤维增强树脂基复合材料(CFRP)钻削试验平台,探讨了台阶钻结构参数及钻削工艺参数对CFRP钻削过程中的钻削轴向力和分层因子的影响。结果表明,钻削工艺参数对第一段钻削轴向力影响较大,台阶钻结构参数对第二段钻削轴向力的影响较大;分层因子的大小与第一段钻削轴向力和第二段钻削轴向力有关,当第一段和第二段直径比d/D0.5时,分层因子主要与第一段钻削轴向力有关;减小分层的优水平组合为第一段直径2.8mm,第二段锋角95°,主轴转速7000r/min,进给速度2.5mm/s。     

Investigations on Drilling of Bidirectional Cotton Polyester Composite

Cotton fiber composites are currently used in the interior parts of automobiles, insulation boards, fiber boards, and various parts of high-friction mechanical assemblies. These composites are subjected to machining operations. Drilling is an indispensable machining operation for assembly of different parts. The present work aimed to carry out experimental and analytical investigations on drilling of bidirectional cotton polyester composite. Influence of feed, spindle speed, and drill point angle on machining characteristics like thrust force, torque, and delamination factor was studied by conducting experiments derived from Taguchi's L27 orthogonal array. To determine the significance of each drilling process parameters and their interactions, analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was conducted. Modeling of drilling parameters was carried out through multiple regression analysis and their optimization for minimizing cutting forces and machining induced damage was carried out using signal to noise ratio analysis.     

Residual tensile strength monitoring of drilled composite materials by acoustic emission

Drilling results in damage such as delamination and matrix cracking around the hole and might ultimately causes degradation in the residual tensile strength of the drilled components. The damage induced during the drilling of composites can be detrimental to the mechanical behavior of the composite products. In this work, the effects of machining parameters (feed rate and cutting speed) and drill point angle on thrust force, the adjusted delamination factor and residual tensile strength are investigated. The Taguchi technique for the design of experiments was employed to analyze the thrust force, adjusted delamination factor and residual tensile strength of woven glass/resin epoxy. The results show that feed rate and drill point angle are the most important parameters. During tensile testing of drilled laminates, acoustic emission (AE) events were recorded. By feature extraction of AE time domain parameters, the suitable parameter for detecting the characteristics of thrust force and tensile force were determined. The AE mean power (MP) and cumulative count correlated well with thrust force and tensile force, respectively.     

EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS OF DRILLING ON CFRP COMPOSITES

The paper outlines the various problems associated with the drilling of CFRP composites. The technique of dimensional analysis is used to investigate the complex correlation between thrust force, cutting speed, feed, hole diameter, point geometry and material thickness during the drilling of holes in CFRP composites, A new non-dimensional number (t/D), thickness of layered composites to drill diameter, is found to influence the thrust force. Four drill point geometries specifically found effective in drilling of FRP were tried and among them the eight facet drill point geometry was found to give the best results.     

Machinability analysis in drilling woven GFR/epoxy composites: Part II – Effect of drill wear

The current paper is a continuation of the author’s work on machinability analysis in drilling woven glass fiber reinforced epoxy (GFRE) composites. The present paper deals the effect of drill pre-wear on the machinability parameters in drilling GFRE composites, at different cutting conditions. Machinability parameters were characterized by thrust force, torque, peel-up and push-out delaminations, and surface roughness of drilled holes. The results showed that, the behavior of thrust force during drilling process was greatly affected by the drill pre-wear. This effect becomes extreme at high cutting speed and feed, which in turn increases delaminations and surface roughness. The scanning electron photographs demonstrate that, peaks and valleys in surface roughness profile were due to burning the matrix. The multi-variable linear regression models were fair to fit the experimental data. Therefore, considerable attention should be paid to record different models that improve the correlation between the machinability parameters and machining conditions.     

An approach towards damage free machining of CFRP and GFRP composite material: a review

Over the last decade, the use of polymeric composite material has increased considerably, and as a result, machinability of such material has also increased. The main aim of this work is to emphasize on the conventional and unconventional machining of composite materials, more specifically on drilling of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer and glass fiber-reinforced polymer. Additional concentration on tool materials and geometry, roughness of drill surface, thrust force and delamination at entry and exit with influence of point angle of tool, variable feed rate, and variable spindle speed. Over the last few years, many studied on the effect of cutting parameters and tool geometry using conventional machining, the phenomena associated with unconventional machining of composite material requires some supplementary studies in order to make damage free machining of composite materials.     

Experimental investigation and optimization of machining parameters in drilling of fly ash-filled carbon fiber reinforced composites

Particle-filled polymer composites have become attractive because of their wide applications and low cost. Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) is well known as a difficult-to-cut material, which has very strong physical and mechanical characteristics. Machining of carbon fiber reinforced composites is essential to have functional upshots, out of which drilling is the key operation needed for fabrication. In this paper Taguchi L₂₇ experimental design is coupled with grey relational analysis (GRA) to optimize the multiple performance characteristics in the drilling of fly ash-filled carbon fiber reinforced composites. Experiments were conducted on a vertical machining center, and Taguchi L₂₇ experimental design was chosen for the experiments. The drilling parameters, namely spindle speed, feed rate, drill diameter and wt% of fly ash, have been optimized based on the multiple performance characteristics including thrust force, surface roughness, and delamination. The GRA with multiple performance characteristics indicates that the wt% of fly ash and drill diameter are the most significant factors that affect the performance. Experimental results have shown that the performance in the drilling process can be improved effectively by using this approach.     

Influence of drilling process parameters on hybrid vinyl ester composite

In the modern world, the use of hybrid composite becomes unavoidable. They have their unique and tailor-made properties which makes them suitable for many engineering and industrial applications. But the restriction on the use of composites arises during machining of these composites. Unlike conventional materials, machining of composites is a tedious process due to their anisotropic nature. In the current research work, the prepared high strength hybrid composite is subjected to one of the important machining process say drilling and the process parameters are optimized for the multiple output characteristics namely delamination, torque and thrust force. Taguchi technique aided with grey relational analysis is used for optimization purpose. From the experimental outcome, it is clear that the machining characteristics can be improved at optimum machining conditions. And it is also found that the diameter of the drill has the major effect on the output characteristics.     

Machinability analysis in drilling woven GFR/epoxy composites: Part I – Effect of machining parameters

The present paper deals with the effect of machining parameters (feed, speed and drill diameter) on the thrust force and machinability of woven glass fiber-reinforced epoxy (GFRE) composites. The selected machinability parameters were delamination size, surface roughness, and bearing strength. The results show that, delamination-free in drilling GFRE composites was not observed, in the range of the investigated cutting parameters. Surface roughness instrument can be used as an indication for the position of the internal delamination damage in drilling GFRE composites. The high values of correlation coefficients between thrust force and the machinability parameters confirm the importance of reducing the thrust force to improve the load carrying capacity of composite structure assembled by rivets or bolted joints.     

Research on ultrasonic-assisted drilling in micro-hole machining of the DD6 superalloy

The DD6 nickel-based superalloy exhibits remarkably high temperature properties; therefore, it is employed as a crucial structural material in the aviation industry. Nevertheless, this material is difficult to process. Ultrasonic-assisted drilling (UAD) combines the characteristics of vibration processing technology and conventional drilling technology, significantly improving the machinability of difficult-to-machine materials. Thus, UAD experiments were performed on micro-hole machining of DD6 superalloy in this study. The effects of amplitude, frequency, spindle speed, and feed rate on thrust force, machining quality, and drill bit wear were studied; thereafter, a comparison was drawn between these effects and those of conventional drilling (CD). The experimental results reveal that the thrust force decreases with an increase in spindle speed or a decrease in feed rate for both UAD and CD. UAD can significantly reduce the thrust force. With the same processing parameters, the greater the amplitude, the greater the reduction of the thrust force. The surface roughness of the hole wall produced by UAD is lower than that of CD. Compared with CD, UAD reduces the burr height, improves machining accuracy, and reduces drill bit wear.The full text can be downloaded at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40436-020-00301-6     

Experimental investigation on drilling of natural flax fiber-reinforced composites

Natural fiber composites (NFCs) have strong potential to replace glass fiber-reinforced plastics. An instrumental operation in machining composite structures is hole making which facilitates assembly of parts. Understanding the effects of drilling process parameters on feature properties of NFCs has great benefits. In this regard, to make a good quality and accurate hole in composite structures, appropriate selection of drill bit and cutting parameters is important. This paper investigates delamination behavior and hole quality of flax/epoxy composite laminates in response to feed, spindle speed, and three different types of drill bit. As indicated by analysis of variance results, drill bit type and feed have greater influences on the thrust force. It appeared that delamination factor and surface roughness were significantly influenced by drill bit, but not by feed and spindle speed. The choice of drill bit has great impact on the delamination factor (67.27%) and surface roughness (74.44%), respectively.     

Selection of drilling conditions for glass fibre reinforced plastics

An experimental investigation has been carried out into the drilling of glass fibre reinforced plastics using HSS twist drills. A test series was conducted using a wide range of cutting conditions and drill geometry, namely cutting speed, feed rate, point angle and helix angle. Decisions relating to the ‘optimum’ drilling conditions were based on the geometrical accuracy and appearance of the produced holes. Drill wear was measured during the test trials and used as a further constraint in ‘optimum’ cutting conditions selection. Speed, feed rate and drill point angle were found statistically to be the most significant parameters influencing hole quality. Drill wear can be successfully correlated to the level of the thrust force. A simple nomogram is included to predict drill wear level from the thrust level or the amount of material removed.     

Study of drilling of composite material and aluminium stack

Drilling of CFRP/Al or CFRP/Ti, or Al/CFRP/Ti is a challenge to manufacturing engineers. Drilling of CFRP is manageable but the minute drill hits the Al or Ti, those hot and continuous chips destroy the hole. Few studies are carried out in this aspect; CFRP/Al is not reported till date. It is important to select right process parameters when drilling multimaterial stack since each material in the stack requires a different set of machining parameters. Hence, Drilling trials have been carried out in carbon-fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP)/aluminium (Grade 2024) stack without coolant, with plain carbide (K20) drills of various diameters to choose optimum process parameters. The parametric influences on thrust force, torque as well as surface finish were experimentally evaluated. The experimental results show that the quality of holes can be improved by proper selection of cutting parameters. This is substantiated by monitoring thrust force, torque, surface finish, circularity and hole diameter. For the CFRP, the circularity is found to be around 6 μm at low feed rates, when the feed is increased the circularity increases to 25 μm. The wear tests carried out show that, during first 30 holes, thrust force in CFRP undergoes a more important increase (90%) than thrust force of aluminium (6%).     

Thrust force model for ultrasonic-assisted micro drilling of DD6 superalloy

As a typical refractory material, the DD6 nickel-based single-crystal superalloy has important applications in the aviation industry. Ultrasonic-assisted drilling is an advanced machining method that significantly improves machining of refractory materials. The drilling thrust force influences the hole surface quality, burr height, and bit wear. Therefore, it is necessary to predict the thrust force during ultrasonic-assisted drilling. However, there are few reports on the modeling of the thrust force in the ultrasonic-assisted drilling of micro-holes. A thrust force prediction model for ultrasonic-assisted micro-drilling is proposed in this study. Based on the basic cutting principle, the dynamic cutting speed, dynamic cutting thickness, and acoustic softening effect caused by ultrasonic vibrations are factored into this model. Through model calibration, the specific friction force and specific normal force coefficients were determined. The model was verified through ultrasonic-assisted drilling experiments conducted at different feed rates, spindle speeds, frequencies, and amplitudes. The maximum and minimum errors of the average thrust force were 10.5% and 2.3%, respectively. This model accurately predicts the thrust force based on the parameters used for ultrasonic-assisted micro-hole drilling and can assist in the analysis and modeling of DD6 superalloy processing.The full text can be downloaded at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40436-021-00381-y     

双顶角钻头钻削CFRP复合材料的刀具磨损机制

为了研究碳纤维增强树脂基(CFRP)复合材料切削中刀具在不同部位的磨损机制和规律,以典型的硬质合金双顶角钻头作为研究对象,主要研究对出口分层影响较大的横刃和对最终制孔成型影响较大的第二主切削刃的磨损机制及规律。通过减小磨损测量间隔,并引入切削刃钝圆半径以及后刀面磨损带宽度,表征了横刃和第二主切削刃在加工中的衰变过程。基于显微刃口观测和钝圆半径变化,揭示横刃易崩刃和第二主切削刃磨损后又受到重新刃磨的磨损机制,获得了此类型钻头不同部位的磨损规律。同时,基于上述的磨损表征,研究不同切削部位磨损量对钻削轴向力和力矩的影响,横刃轴向力与横刃钝圆半径变化相关性较小,而钻削最大力矩与第二主切削刃后刀面磨损变化规律相一致。     

Transformation and thickening of chip during high throughput drilling

One of the major difference in drilling process when related to other conventional metal removal processes like turning and milling is that the drill tool has to work beneath harsh environment as the metal cutting region is situated deep inside the work material. Also, the chip flow is restricted only through the flutes, and hence there occurs transformation of chip shape, chip thickening, and changes in force and torque. In the present investigation, high throughput drilling has been performed under a dry and wet environment in an intermetallic titanium aluminide which is an exceptional class of material with superior properties. It is found that the chip shape transformed from spiral to folded ribbon as the depth of hole increased. Also, a substantial increase in chip thickness, thrust, and torque was observed, and toward the end of drilling, chip clogging occurred. An analytical model was established by applying the mechanics of oblique cutting to find the torque and thrust by measuring the thickness of chip, and this model was validated experimentally.     

碳纤维增强复合材料螺旋铣孔切削力及加工质量研究

针对传统钻孔方法加工复合材料时易导致分层、撕裂等缺陷的问题,采用螺旋铣作为新的制孔技术,根据飞机装配现场的实际加工条件,构建以机器人为移动载体、螺旋铣孔终端执行器为加工单元、螺旋铣孔专用刀具为切削工具的加工系统,采用该加工系统对碳纤维增强复合材料(CFRP)螺旋铣孔关键工艺参数进行正交试验,并讨论了刀具主轴转速、每齿进给量和轴向切削深度等工艺参数对切削力的影响规律;通过对加工缺陷的监测,探讨了切削力与CFRP分层、撕裂等缺陷之间的关系;最后对工艺参数进行优化,经试验验证,优化后轴向切削力较优化前降低26%以上,孔入口及出口处均无撕裂、毛刺,加工质量最优。     

Delamination in drilling GFR-thermoset composites

Delamination is a major problem associated with drilling fiber-reinforced composite materials that, in addition to reducing the structural integrity of the material, also results in poor assembly tolerance and has the potential for long-term performance deterioration. Delamination-free in drilling different fiber reinforced thermoset composites is the main objective of the present paper. Therefore the influence of drilling and material variables on thrust force, torque and delamination of GFRP composites was investigated experimentally. Drilling variables are cutting speed and feed. Material variable include matrix type, filler and fiber shape. Drilling process was carried out on cross-winding/polyester, continuous-winding with filler/polyester, chopped/polyester, woven/polyester and woven/epoxy composites. A simple inexpensive accurate technique was developed to measure delamination size.

The results show that the presence of sand filler in continuous-winding composites not only raised the values of cutting forces and push-out delamination but also increased their values with increasing cutting speed. In contrast, increasing the cutting speed in drilling cross-winding, woven and chopped composites reduces the push-out delamination as a result of decreasing the thrust force. The thrust forces in drilling continuous-winding composite are more than three orders of magnitude higher than those in the cross-winding composites. Chopped composites have lower push-out delamination than those made from woven fibers. For the same fiber shape, the peel-up and push-out delaminations of woven/epoxy composite are lower than that for woven/polyester composites. Delamination, chipping and spalling damage mechanisms were observed in drilling chopped and continuous-winding composites. In drilling woven composites the delamination was observed at different edge position angles due to the presence of the braids that made by the interlacing of two orthogonal directions of fibers tows (warp and fill). Delamination-free in drilling cross-winding composites was achieved using variable feed technique.