An Experimental Study of the Routing of a Unidirectional Carbon/Epoxy Composite

摘要

The objective of this study is to investigate the behavior of composites during routing, compared to orthogonal cutting. Studies have shown that cutting conditions and heterogeneity of these materials not only generate premature wear of cutting tools, but also severe damage to the workpiece. In order to understand their appearance, some authors have linked the cutting parameters and fibers orientation to the cutting forces and the surface quality of the machined product, in orthogonal cutting. Also, various studies were carried out in order to analyze the influence of tool wear. Despite the progress enjoyed, the current knowledge of machining composites, unfortunately, is inadequate for its optimum utilization in many applications owing to the complexity of the phenomena involved in the cutting area. This work aims to understand the influence of machining on the workpiece. Therefore, routing tests without lubrication were carried out on unidirectional carbon/epoxy composites with carbide tools. Two fiber orientations theta (0 deg and 90 deg), were adopted and a range of cutting parameters was utilized. Experimental results show that cutting forces increase with feed rate and cutting depth a_(p). It was also found that surface quality changes markedly with fibers orientation.