Experimental Study on Edge Trimming of Unidirectional CFRP Composites

Abstract

Composites find lot of applications in aerospace, defence, automotive and medical industries due to its high strength to stiffness and weight ratio. After the composites are demoulded, trimming the edges is the first machining operation to be carried out. The heterogeneity and anisotropy of the composite materials make machining difficult and accompanied with different damages. The accuracy of the surface profile is one of the important components of both dimensional and geometric accuracy and play a significant role in achieving overall product quality because it is often directly related to the product’s functional performance. The defects in the free edges are mainly influenced by the machining parameters (such as speed, feed, depth of cut and fibre orientation) and the type of machining (orthogonal cutting and oblique cutting). This paper presents some observations like feed force, normal force and surface roughness made on the orthogonal and oblique cutting of unidirectional carbon fiber reinforced plastics.