A drilling case study in polymer composites reinforced by virgin and recycled carbon fibres (CFRP and rCFRP) to analyse thrust force and torque

Abstract

A great deal of attention is currently paid to recycling or reusing carbon fibres, as it improves sustainability and the lifetime of carbon products. The applicability of recycled carbon fibre–reinforced polymer (rCFRP) composite materials is supported by the results of material scientists; however, the machinability of rCFRPs has not been analysed yet. The machinability of virgin and rCFRPs was compared by analysing cutting force and torque in drilling. Six different CFRPs (virgin and recycled CFRPs with different reinforcing structures) were drilled at three feed levels using two different solid carbide cutting tools. The cutting force and torque were measured with a KISTLER 9257BA dynamometer, processed, and analysed by fast Fourier transformation (FFT) and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The experimental results proved at a significance level of 0.05 that the recycled/virgin status of the applied CFRPs significantly influences both the thrust force and drilling torque of each CFRP. Furthermore, the cutting force and torque are higher in rCFRPs than in virgin CFRPs at each reinforcing structure. The present study suggests spreading rCFRP applications, as there are no essential barriers against them from the point of view of drilling force and torque.

Analysis and modelling of thrust force in drilling of basalt and carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (BFRP and CFRP) composites

“…The absolute percentage error (APE) was used to characterise the adequacy of the F t predictions, as expressed by Eq. (6).…”

“…However, their manufacturing is costly, and the life cycle of products made from carbon and glass fibres is relatively short. Their recycling and/or reusing is difficult or often not solvable [6][7][8]. Therefore, researchers developed novel fibrous composites using organic and inorganic reinforcing fibres.…”

Analysis of drilling-induced geometrical damages in basalt and carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (BFRP and CFRP) composites

“…Fig. 1 The experimental machining setup: a working environment and b the applied coated solid carbide twist drill The factor spaces and levels were determined based on suggestions of cutting tool producers and on previous studies [27,28]. The drilling experiments were conducted in a dry condition, randomised order.…”

Machinability investigation in electric discharge machining of carbon fiber reinforced composites for aerospace applications

“…Xu et al [ 40 ] performed the conventional drilling of CFRP and resulted in an inverse relation of feed rate and cutting speed with the composite drilling temperature to alleviate the matrix glass transition. Geier et al [ 41 ] performed a comparative study of virgin and recycled CFRP drilling concerning torque and thrust force. It was concluded that higher torque and cutting force are produced in recycled CFRP specimens compared to the virgin.…”