Effect of fiber orientation angles on the material removal behavior of CFRP during cutting process by multi-scale characterization

CFRP composites have been widely used in many fields due to their excellent comprehensive performance. Precision machining of CFRP is the premise to ensure the efficient assembly of CFRP components. Therefore, it is important to clarify the material removal behavior for optimizing the process scheme and improving the machined surface quality. In this presented paper, the 3D finite element models including macro and micro models for CFRP cutting are found and verified by experiment. Based on four typical fiber orientation angles (FOAs), the micro-failure mechanism of CFRP and the formation mechanism of macro-chips under cutting load are studied. Finally, the machined surface quality of CFRP is studied using 3D nano system and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results show that the damage of fiber and matrix on micro scale and the chip formation on macro scale are greatly affected by FOAs. Under different FOAs, the failure modes of fibers and matrix and the removal behavior of material are different, so that the machined surface quality is various. In this study, the relatively good surface quality is obtained when FOA is 45 degrees or 90 degrees, but a poor surface quality when FOA is 0 degrees or 135 degrees.