An experimental study on machining techniques of cutting composite armors

The machining of laminated composite components or armors consisting of engineering ceramics, fiber-reinforced plastic, and even aluminum or titanium alloy is a great challenge to manufacturing engineers. So far, quite limited literatures can be found concerning the machining of laminated composite components, and the quite limited studies are mainly focused on the stacks consisting of metal plates and composite materials. Also, there is hardly any report concerning the cutting techniques of laminated composite components or armors. In this work, the cutting techniques of three types of composite armors such as the Kevlar fiber-reinforced plastic (KFRP) protection inner lineplate, the ceramic composite armor (ceramics/glass fiber-reinforced plastics/aluminum alloy laminate), and the double-plate composite armor (ceramics/KFRP laminate) were studied experimentally on a desktop cutting machine, using a sintering diamond saw. Two types of machining processes such as cocurrent cutting and reverse cutting were discussed, and finally, reverse cutting is recommended for better cutting quality. Cutting tests indicated that under proper processing conditions, high-quality cutting of composite armors can be carried out by using a sintering diamond saw.