Temperature Study during the Edge Trimming of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Plastic [0]8/Ti6Al4V Stack Material

Abstract

Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) and Titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) stacks are used extensively in the modern aerospace industry thanks to their outstanding mechanical properties and resistance to thermal load applications. Machining the CFRP/Ti6Al4V stack is a challenge and is complicated by the differences in each constituent materials’ machinability. The difficulty arises from the matrix degradation of the CFRP material caused by the heat generated during the machining process, which is a consequence of the low thermal conductivity of Ti6Al4V material. In most cases, CFRP and Ti6Al4V materials are stacked and secured together using rivets or bolts. This results in extra weight, while the drilling process required for such an assembly may damage the CFRP material. To overcome these issues, some applications employ an assembly that is free of bolts or rivets, and which uses adhesives or an adapted curing process to bond both materials together. The present research analyzes a thermal distribution and its effect on quality during the edge trimming process of a CFRP/Ti6Al4V stack assembly. Different types of tools and cutting parameters are compared using thermocouples embedded within the material and others on the tool cutting edge. In contrast to previous studies, the feed rate was the most significant factor affecting the cutting temperature and quality of the workpiece, while the cutting speed had no significant impact. The temperature in the workpiece increases as the feed per tooth decreases.