The path towards delamination-free drilling of composite materials

The fiber-reinforced composite materials possess advantage for structural purpose in various industries. Delamination is considered the major concern in manufacturing the parts and assembly. Drilling is frequently applied in production cycle while the anisotropy and nonhomogeneity of composite materials affect the chip deformation and machining behavior during drilling. Traditional and non-traditional drilling processes are feasible for making fine holes for composite materials by carefully selected tool, method and operating conditions. In this article, the path towards the delamination-free drilling of composite material is reviewed. The major scenes are illustrated including the aspects of the analytical approach, the practical use of special drill bits, pilot hole and back-up plate, and the employment of non-traditional machining method. (c) 2005 Published by Elsevier B.V.