Low-frequency modulation-assisted drilling of carbon-epoxy composite laminates

Carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRPs) have a wide spectrum of industrial applications because of their outstanding multifunctional properties. However, the machining performance of CFRPs is poor which has restricted further expansion of their application range. The damage that is induced during machining is considered as a major hindrance for the applicability of CFRP components for structural applications. In order to mitigate this perplexing challenge, an emerging machining method namely, modulation assisted machining has been adopted which has not been investigated earlier in context of drilling of CFRP laminates. The drilling performance of the CFRP laminates has been analyzed using both conventional and modulation-assisted drilling techniques. The influence of the feed, frequency of rotation, drill geometry, frequency of modulation, and moddlation amplitude on the force and subsequently damage has been experimentally investigated. The results indicate that modulation-assisted drilling technique produces better quality holes than conventional drilling under identical conditions. (C) 2016 The Society of Manufacturing Engineers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.