Experimental Investigation of Clamping Systems and the Resulting Change of Cutting Conditions While Drilling Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics

Drilling is one of the most frequently applied processes for machining carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP). The clamping distance influences the bending of a plane specimen when using a 4-point clamping system. In this paper, an empirical model for CFRP based on the plate theory is presented which describes the bending behavior of the specimen during the drilling process. Additionally, the influence the bending behavior exerts on the cutting thickness during drilling CFRP is described. The results show that the cutting thickness varies while drilling the material depending on the acting axial force and the current bending of the specimen.