Effect of Carbon Fiber Orientation on Machining Phenomena in Electrical Discharge Machining of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics

摘要

This paper discusses the effect of the carbon fiber orientation on machining phenomena such as short-circuiting in the electrical discharge machining (EDM) of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP). Sinking EDM was carried out for a CFRP, where the carbon fiber orientation in each prepreg was even but different among the prepregs, in a configuration in which many prepregs were concurrently machined, and top and cross-section views of the machined surfaces were observed. It was found that the relative frequency of short-circuiting due to the fraying of carbon fibers decreases when the gap width is narrower. It was also found that the machined surface became uneven because of the different local material removal rates and electrode wear ratios among the prepregs.