Experimental study of surface quality and damage when drilling unidirectional CFRP composites

In this study, an experimental investigation on the drilling of unidirectional carbon fiber reinforced plastic (UD-CFRP) composite was conducted using polycrystalline diamond (PCD) tipped eight facet drill. The quality of the drilled hole surface was examined through surface roughness measurements and surface damage by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that fiber pullout occurred in two specific sectors relative to the angle between the cutting direction and the fiber orientation. The thrust force was highly influenced by the feed rate than the cutting speed and it shows a significant variation throughout the rotation of the drill. (C) 2014 Brazilian Metallurgical, Materials and Mining Association. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda.