Machining of carbon fiber reinforced plastics: Influence of tool geometry and fiber orientation on the machining forces

Tools optimized for machining carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) belong to the key enablers for the application of CFRP in many areas such as aerospace or automobile industry. Conventional tool designs do not consider the differing machining behavior of CFRP compared to metals. This leads to short tool lifetime and limited workpiece quality. The presented study introduces fundamental tool-geometry analyses based on orthogonal cutting of unidirectional CFRP-material. Within an extensive experiment series process-forces (i), abrasive tool-wear (ii), workpiece damages (iii) and delamination (iv) are evaluated depending on different tool geometries and fiber-orientations. In conclusion, workpiece damages and tool lifetime can be linked to tool characteristics.