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Edge Trimming of CFRP with Diamond Interlocking Tools

Article  in  SAE Technical Papers · September 2006

DOI: 10.4271/2006-01-3173

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Edge Trimming of CFRP with Diamond Interlocking Tools
Prashanth Janardhan, Jamal Sheikh-Ahmad and Hossein Cheraghi
Copyright © 2006 SAE International
ABSTRACT
In the present work we studied the edge trimming
process of CFRP with a diamond interlocking “burr” tool.
Measurements of tool wear, surface roughness, spindle
power and delamination depth were performed for
different combinations of spindle speed and feed rate
and were subsequently used to characterize machining
quality. It was found that direct wear measurement for
this type of cutting tool is not conclusive and thus not
suitable for assessing tool life and machining quality.
Instead, indirect indicators of tool wear were found more
suitable for this purpose. Using these indirect methods
an equation for tool life was defined and parameters for
optimum machining quality were determined.
INTRODUCTION
Conventional material removal processes such turning,
sawing, grinding and milling are often used to machine
finish cured carbon fiber reinforced polymer parts
(CFRP). In such processes, machining damage is
inevitable and proper measures should be implemented
so that this damage is minimized.
One cause of machining damage is tool wear. Because
machining of CFRP occurs by fracture, and very little
plastic deformation is involved [1], an adequate level of
edge sharpness is required in order to neatly shave the
material. In addition, tool forces and surface quality are
highly dependent on tool sharpness and fiber orientation
relative to the cutting velocity vector [2,3]. Inadequate
tool sharpness and accelerated rates of wear produce
extra machining problems such as delamination, pitting
and burning [4], which in turn leads to increasing tool
forces and heat generation at the machined surface.
Surface and inter-ply delamination are caused by
excessive tool forces, especially the force component
normal to the stacking direction, and heat damage to the
matrix results from heat build-up during machining. The
rate of tool wear, cutting temperature and surface quality
are known to be strongly dependent on cutting speed
and feed rate [1,5,6].
2006-01-3173
Wichita State University
Tool wear during the machining of composite materials
occurs in a number of different ways. In most machining
processes, no single form of wear truly indicates the
condition of the tool. Using a particular type of wear to
measure tool life and to depict tool condition greatly
depends upon the pattern of wear that is predominantly
observed during the machining process [7]. Tool wear
mechanisms reported during the machining of composite
materials showed a mixed combination of tool wear
types [6]. Depth of cut notch wear and trailing edge
notch wear were observed during the machining of
CFRP with CBN, tungsten carbide, and ceramic inserts.
It was shown that the carbon composites used in these
experiments were less abrasive and thus had less
friction, which was the reason for the absence of flank
wear [7]. Ferreira et al. [8] showed that CFRP composite
materials (in turning operation) were extremely abrasive
in nature, which was confirmed by the absence of crater
wear on the surface of the cutting tool. Flank wear was
noticeable in TiC, TiN, and plain carbide P30 and K20
inserts. K20 type tools exhibited a broader and smoother
wear trend than P30 type tools, which may account for
the difference in hardness. It was also observed that the
type of fiber, fiber orientation, and fiber-to-matrix ratio
influenced the selection of machining parameters and
cutting tools, [8,9]. Other types of tool wear noticed in
FRP machining are premature rounding of the cutting
edges by highly abrasive fibers, edge chipping of the
tool due to the difference in hardness between the
matrix and fiber reinforcement, and tool clogging due to
the melting of matrix material [10].
Solid carbide router burr tools (shown in Figure 1) have
been used for many years for cutting and trimming
fiberglass due to their high wear resistance and ability to
produce a clean cut at relatively high feed rates. The
solid carbides in micrograin or submicron grain sizes
used for making these tools provide the high abrasive
resistance required in this environment, but also cause
the tool to be brittle and more susceptible to fracture.
The special flute geometry ground in the body of the
tools introduces a shearing action while the fibers are
being pulled in tension. This ensures clean shearing of
the fibers. Despite their wide use, very little studies have
been conducted on burr tools in machining CFRP.
Hence, in the present work we have investigated the
wear characteristics of these tools and the quality of composites while providing pulling action at the same
machined surface in the trimming operation of CFRP. A time. The resins are carried along with the fiber chips.
tool life equation based on indirect measurement of the The tool has an uneven count of spirals, up verses
tool condition was also developed. down, to make the points overlap so that they do not
make grooves on the machined edge. The cutting point
EXPRIMENTAL PROCEDURES generated by the intersecting spirals ground in the tool
body looks like a pyramid, or a diamond, and hence the
The experiments conducted in this work involved the name diamond-interlocking tool. Figure 2 shows optical
study and measurement of tool wear in a burr tool in microscope images of one tooth. The tooth appears as a
trimming CFRP. This was done to determine the time for pyramid that is slanted backward, with one diagonal
tool replacement with delamination damage as the along the cutting direction and the other along the tool
limiting criterion. All machining experiments were axis. Each of the rake and clearance faces are
conducted on a 3-axis CNC router by varying spindle composed of two intersecting sides of the pyramid as
speed and feed rate, keeping the radial depth of cut at shown in Figure 2. The rake angles on these intersecting
constant level. The entire experiment, for a given faces appear to be negative.
combination of spindle speed and feed rate, consisted of
a total of five runs, the first two consisted of five passes In many ways this tool is similar to an abrasive cutting
each on a long panel of CFRP. The remaining three runs tool. The individual teeth correspond to the abrasive grit
consisted of ten passes each on the long panel. Each on the abrasive cutting tool. The cutting points on both
experiment was repeated two times. types of tools have negative rake angles and the chip
per tooth is relatively small. The cutting points on the
A universal power cell (Load Control) was used to carbide tools are arranged in an overlapping pattern,
continuously monitor the spindle power consumption while on the abrasive cutting tool they are randomly
during the routing operation. The power data was distributed.
collected by a data acquisition system and saved for
further processing. The condition of the cutting tool was
examined at the end of each run under an optical
microscope. The types of tool wear present were
categorized and measured. Surface roughness of the
machined surface was measured with a Mitutoyo
Surftest SJ-400 surface roughness tester. Surface Figure 1: Diamond interlocking “burr” router bit, 6.35 mm diameter.
roughness was measured both in longitudinal and
transverse directions to the machined edge. In the
longitudinal direction a cut-off length of 0.8 mm and a
traverse length of 4.0 mm were taken. For the
transverse measurements a cut-off length of 0.25 mm
and traverse length of 1.25 mm were taken. This (a) 500 μm (b) 500 μm
constraint in the transverse measurement is due to the
small thickness of the workpiece, which is 2.5 mm.
Delamination was considered an important factor of
process quality measurement in the present work. The
extent of delamination occurring in routing processes
controlled the acceptance or rejection of a machined
component. A delamination depth above 1.5 mm was
considered unacceptable in the present work, based on
the consultation with the project industrial advisors. The Figure 2: One tooth of the burr tool. (a) Clearance, (b) Rake.
presence of delamination on the machined edge was
categorized and measured. Measurement of the lengths
(hereafter referred to as depths) of delamination was
carried out using an optical microscope at the end of
each run. WORKPIECE

CUTTING TOOL The workpiece material used in this work is a

The burr router bits used in this work were 6.3 mm in
diameter. Figure 1 shows a picture of such a router bit.
An examination of the geometry of the tool shows that it
is comprised of up and down spiral cuts. These spirals
generate many cutting points that shear the fiber in the
multidirectional square panel consisting of 10 plies of
plain weave carbon fibers with a stacking sequence
[(45o/135o)/(0o/90o)]s. The CFRP panel measured 610 mm
in length and 2.5 mm in thickness. Clamping of CFRP
panels for the trimming operation was done on a
medium density fiberboard (MDF) which was vacuum
mounted on the CNC router work surface. The clamping
and trimming setup are shown schematically in Figure 3. Table 1: Cutting conditions
Trimming was performed along the 610 mm edge of the
CFRP panel. A pocket was milled in the MDF board to RPM Vc (m/min) Vf (m/min) aeff (mm)
allow for an overhang of the workpiece and to avoid 5000 99.7 2.54 0.040
cutting the MDF board during each trimming pass. Holes 5000 99.7 5.08 0.081
were drilled through the MDF board directly below the 5000 99.7 10.16 0.162
CFRP panel to allow vacuum to hold the panel down 10000 199.5 2.54 0.020
against the MDF board. In addition to this, mechanical 10000 199.5 5.08 0.040
clamping was also used at the sides of the panel close 10000 199.5 10.16 0.081
to the edge being trimmed. 15000 299.2 2.54 0.013
15000 299.2 5.08 0.027
CUTTING CONDITIONS 15000 299.2 10.16 0.054

The machining parameters used in the trimming

experiments are shown in Table 1. Three levels of
spindle speed and three levels of feed speed were used.
A radial depth of cut of 1.6 mm (25% of tool diameter)
was maintained constant. Cutting was carried out along
the 610 mm edge of the CFRP panel. The tool was
removed after a designated number of passes (run) and
examined under an optical microscope for signs of wear.
Each combination of spindle speed and feed rate was
repeated two times, and results from the two repeats
were averaged.
The size of chip removed by the burr router bit is very
small. Similar to grinding, or cutting with abrasive
cutters, the thickness of material removed is determined
by the radial depth of cut, ae, the feed rate, Vf, and the
cutting speed, Vc. An equivalent chip thickness is
defined as:
aeff = ae (Vf / Vc)
where Vc = dtnt is the cutting speed (m/min), dt is the
diameter of the router bit (m) and nt is the spindle speed
(RPM). Values for the equivalent chip thickness used in
the experiments are also shown in Table 1.
CFRP
Spindle
Workpiece
Router
Bit Clamp
MDF Board
Milled Pocket
Figure 3: Edge trimming setup.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
MACHINING CONFIGURATION
The type of machining configuration (down milling vs. up
milling) best suited for the kind of router bit used in this
project was determined by carrying out edge trimming
cuts on a short CFRP blank (100 mm long) and
evaluating the characteristics of the machined surface.
These screening experiments were carried out for a
spindle speed of 5,000 rpm and two levels of feed rate,
2.54 m/min and 5.08 m/min. The reason for choosing
these machining parameters was mainly to reduce the
number of experiments needed to identify the proper
machining configuration that must be adopted for the
rest of the experimental matrix. In order to study the
effect of machining configuration on the machining
quality of CFRP composite materials, delamination,
surface roughness and power data were recorded and
analyzed.
Table 2 includes a summary of the results from the
screening experiments. The table lists values for
delamination depth, DEL, in mm, surface roughness
along the feed direction, Ra, in μm and the net cutting
power, HP. It is shown that up milling produces better
machining quality, i.e. lower delamination depth and
lower surface roughness than down milling. It is also
noted that the levels of surface roughness produced by
the current burr router bit are significantly higher than
those produced by an abrasive cutter [11]. Possible
reasons for this are differences in the feed rates used
with the current tool and the size of its pyramid cutting
tooth as compared to an abrasive grit. The net cutting
power for up milling is higher than that for down milling,
but this has no direct effect on machining quality. For the
reasons stated above, it was determine that up milling is
better suited for the current router bit.
Table 2: Comparison between up milling and down milling. DEL: effective chip thickness, which corresponds to an
delamination depth in mm, Ra: surface roughness in μm, HP: net
increase in feed rate, a decrease in cutting speed or
cutting power.
both. This may be directly related to the increase in
forces required to remove the larger chip thickness. The
Vf = 2.54 m/min Vf = 5.08 m/min
huge scatter of the data is noted at chip thickness of
DEL Ra HP DEL Ra HP
0.08 (total of 4 points). This indicates the high variability
Up 0.75 43 0.245 1.6 52 0.385
in the fracture strength of the new sharp teeth.
Down 1.35 68 0.238 1.9 64 0.340

TOOL WEAR

Measurement of tool wear was carried out at the end of

300 μm
five passes, for the first two runs, and at the end of ten
passes for the subsequent three runs. The length of
each pass was 610 mm and the total cutting distance
was 26 m. Before the start of trimming operations the
cutting portion of the tool was sprayed with fast-dry black
paint in order to facilitate easy detection of the tool
portion that came in contact with the workpiece during
the trimming operation. Analysis of tool wear was
performed under an optical toolmakers microscope
equipped with an image capturing system. The worn tool
was also examined after the final cutting pass under a
scanning electron microscope.

Two types of wear were observed on the cutting tool
after trimming. These were fracture of the tips of the
pyramid tooth and the usual flank wear. Both types of
wear were measured and recorded at the specified
cutting distances. The effect of cutting parameters on
both types of wear was analyzed.
Tool Fracture
Figure 4 shows the fractured tip of a pyramid tooth as
observed on the clearance face of the tooth and the size
of the fracture surface is recognized. The number of
teeth that fractured during the trimming operation was
counted at the end of each run and its replication. The
average of the two numbers was taken. It was noted that
the number of teeth fractured was influenced by the feed
rate and cutting speed but did not change significantly
with the increase in cutting distance. This may be
accounted for by the fact that the cutting tool became
fairly stable once the fragile teeth were fractured at the
very beginning of tool engagement [12].
Figure 5 shows the average number of tooth fractures as
a function of effective chip thickness at the end of the
trimming experiment. The width of error bars represents
the range of the data. It is seen that except for the chip
thickness of 0.163 mm, the average number of teeth
fractured generally increased with an increase in
Figure 4: View of fractured tooth from clearance face.
Flank Wear
Figure 6 shows the presence of non-uniform type of
flank wear as viewed under a scanning electron
microscope. The flank wear land, as viewed in a
direction normal to the pyramid base, varies with
distance from the tip of the tooth (maximum at the tip
and minimum at the root of the tooth). This is because of
the smaller width of the tool tip and because the tool tip
cuts more material than the tool base. Figure 6(b) shows
the rake faces of the worn pyramid tip, and Figure 6(c)
shows flank wear on the clearance faces. It can be seen
that in the absence of tooth fracture, flank wear takes
place along the diagonal of the pyramid tooth that is
aligned with the tool axis. Because of the gradual
decrease of flank wear with tooth height, more wear
occurs at the tip and results in what appears to be a
sharper tooth. This self sharpening phenomenon has
been previously demonstrated for cutting tools with
selected coated surfaces and results from artificially
controlling the area of wear and the flow of debris on the
rake faces [13].
 25
Number of Teeth Fractured

20
Maximum Flank
15 Wear

10

0.00 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.10 0.12 0.14 0.16 0.18
aeff (mm)

(b)
Figure 5: Variation of the number of teeth fractured with effective chip
thickness. Cutting distance = 26 m.

The maximum flank wear on the tooth was determined

by measuring the maximum width of the wear land as
shown in Figure 6(a). The maximum flank wear on nine
teeth that were engaged in the cutting zone was
measured in this manner at the end of each run. An
average of these nine readings was calculated. This
process was repeated for each run and in two replicates.
At the end of each run, an average from both replicas (c)
was calculated, and the results are shown in Figure 7.
This figure shows that flank wear generally increases
with an increase in cutting distance. But there are
occurrences were flank wear either decreased or
remained almost unchanged with an increase in cutting
distance. No particular trend governing maximum flank
wear exists with respect to either spindle speed or feed
rate. This unusual nature of the wear curves may be
attributed to the two phenomena that occurred during
edge trimming with the current tool. The first is the
presence of fracture, and the subsequent superposition
of flank wear on the fracture surface made it very difficult
to identify and measure flank wear. The second is the Figure 6: SEM photographs of a uniformly worn tooth after cutting
self sharpening phenomenon observed in the absence distance of 26 mm. (a) top view showing flank wear, (b) Rake faces, (c)
of tooth fracture as shown in Figures 6(b,c). Clearance faces showing signs of self sharpening.

Figure 8 shows the relationship between maximum flank

wear and effective chip thickness after a total cutting
distance of 26 m. From the figure it is seen that flank
wear decreases with an increase in effective chip
thickness (i.e. an increase in feed rate, a decrease in
cutting speed or both). Noted also is the great scatter in
the flank wear data due to the uncertainty in these
measurements because of the presence of fracture and
self sharpening.

(a)
 160 to use power as an indirect method to quantify tool wear
15000, 2.54 and indicate the time for tool replacement during the
Maximum Flank Wear (μm) 140 15000, 5.08
15000, 10.16 trimming operation of CFRP composite material with
120 10000, 2.54 burr tool.
10000, 5.08
100 10000, 10.16
5000, 2.54
80 5000, 5.08
5000, 10.16
60
0.35
40 5000, 2.54
5000, 5.08
20 0.30 5000, 10.16

Net Spindle Power (HP)

10000, 2.54
10000, 5.08
0
0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0 0.25 10000, 10.16
15000, 2.54
15000, 5.08
Cutting Distance (m)
0.20 15000, 10.16

Figure 7: Variation of flank wear with cutting conditions. Numbers in 0.15

legend represent spindle speed in rpm and feed rate in m.min.
0.10

0.05
0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0
Cutting Distance (m)
140
Maximum Flank Wear (μm)

120 Figure 9: Variation of net cutting power with cutting conditions. Legend
lists spindle speed and feed rate in (m/min), respectively.
100

80

60
SURFACE ROUGHNESS
40
Appearance of the machined surface under two extreme
20 cutting conditions is shown in Figure 10. It is apparent
0.00 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.10 0.12 0.14 0.16 0.18 that surface roughness is better for high spindle speed
aeff (mm) and low feed rate (small effective chip thickness).
Damage to the machined surface in the form of pitting,
Figure 8: Variation of flank wear with effective chip thickness. Cutting fuzzing, and fiber pullout is evident for the speed and
distance = 26 m. feed combination that produces large effective chip
thickness.

NET SPINDLE POWER

The net spindle power is defined as the difference

between the power drawn by the spindle during cutting
and that drawn during idling. This net spindle power, (a) (b)
therefore, represents the sum of powers consumed for
material removal by a sharp tool and for overcoming the
effects of tool wear. The graph of net spindle power at
different machining parameters of the experimental
matrix is shown in Figure 9. From the graph, it can be
clearly seen that the net spindle power increases
steadily with cutting distance because of tool wear. It is
also observed that a clear distinction exists between the (c) (d)
different machining parameters, namely spindle speed
and feed rate. Thus, the power data shows a clear effect Figure 10: Machined surface appearance under various machining
of speed and feed rate on response, with feed having conditions. (a) 15000 rpm, 2.54 m/min, sharp tool, (b) 15000 rpm, 2.54
the major effect. This distinction between different m/min, worn tool, (c) 5000 rpm, 10.16 m/min, sharp tool, (d) 5000 rpm,
machining parameters is not clearly evident in the direct 10.16 m/min, worn tool.
method of flank wear measurement. Thus, it is advisable
Surface roughness in this study was quantifies using
ten-point average height (Rz), which is the average of
five peak points and five valley points. It was
demonstrated in [11] that Rz is the better roughness
indicator for laminated composites. Roughness
measurements for both longitudinal and transverse
directions were taken at six different locations on the
machined edge and the average was taken. Figure 11
the variation of longitudinal surface roughness with
cutting parameters. Surface roughness in the
longitudinal direction generally increased with an
increase in cutting distance because of the effect of tool
wear. It also increased with an increase in feed rate and
a decrease in spindle speed, which results in an
increase in effective chip thickness. A minimum surface
roughness of 12.82 μm occurred at spindle speed of
15000 rpm and feed speed of 2.54 m/min, and a
maximum surface roughness of 22 μm occurred at
spindle speed of 5000 rpm and feed speed of 10.16
m/min.
25
20
Rz (μm)
Surface roughness in the transverse direction was
generally higher than that in the longitudinal direction
and exhibited different trends with spindle speed and
feed rate. It increased with an increase in feed rate at
5000 rpm, but decreased with an increase in feed rate at
15,000. A minimum transverse surface roughness of
20.3 μm occurred at spindle speed of 15000 rpm and
feed speed of 10.16 m/min, and a maximum transverse
surface roughness of 28.6 μm occurred at spindle speed
of 10000 rpm and feed speed of 10.16 m/min.
DELAMINATION
Three types of delamination as defined by [11] were
observed and measured after each edge trimming run.
These types are shown in Figure 12. Measurement of
delamination depth was done on a 100 mm long piece of
CFRP panel that was machined after each run at the
same conditions of speed, feed and tool wear. The
length/depth of all delamination occurrences observed
on this piece was recorded and an average depth was
calculated. This was done for two replicas for each
combination of speed and feed. In general and based on
observations of the machined edge, it was found that

15 Type I and Type I/II delamination are the most common

10
types of delamination damage occurring.
2.54 m/min
5 5.08 m/min
5000 rpm 10.16 m/min Type I/II
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Type II
Cutting Distance (m) Type
25 I
20 Type I
Rz (μm)

15

10
2.54 m/min
5 5.08 m/min
10000 rpm 10.16 m/min
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Type III

Cutting Distance (m)

25

20
Rz (μm)

15

10
2.54 m/min
5 5.08 m/min
15000 rpm 10.16 m/min Figure 12: Various delamination modes and their measurement.
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Cutting Distance (m)

Figure 11: Variation of longitudinal surface roughness with cutting

parameters.
Figure 13 shows the variation of average delamination TOOL LIFE CRITERION
depth with cutting conditions and Figure 14 shows the
effect of effective chip thickness on average Considering delamination damage as one of the
delamination depth after cutting distances of 2.5 m and important criterion that determines tool replacement
26 m. It can be seen that the average delamination time, and because of the uncertainties involved in
depth generally increased with an increase in cutting measuring tool wear by direct methods, it is therefore
distance, an increase in feed rate and a decrease in necessary to identify an indirect method to determine the
spindle speed. This means that delamination depth time for tool replacement. This can be done by using the
increases with an increase in effective chip thickness. power and delamination data because both of them
Both of these conditions translate into higher forces due exhibited adequate sensitivities to changes in process
to tool wear and thicker chip, respectively. The direct parameters and to the progress of tool wear, as implied
influence of tool wear on delamination depth is evident in by their increase with an increase in cutting distance.
Figure 14. The delamination depth after 26 m of cutting However to do this, it is necessary to identify a tool life
is significantly greater than that after 2.5 m of cutting. criterion in terms of power levels or delamination depth
The sensitivity of delamination to the changes in process instead of flank wear, as it is usually done. In the present
parameters and the conditions of the tool makes it a work, a tool life criterion is defined based on a threshold
good candidate for the indirect monitoring of tool delamination depth of 1.5 mm. This threshold was
condition as explained next. determined by agreement of project industrial advisors
from local aircraft manufacturers. It is noted that this
2.0 threshold is more conservative than a 2.5 mm threshold
Avg. Delam. Depth (mm)

5000 rpm
quoted in [14] as an acceptable limit in aerospace
1.5
applications.
1.0

Average Delamination Depth (mm)

1.6

0.5 2.54 m/min 1.4

5.08 m/min
10.16 m/min 1.2
0.0
1.0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
0.8
Cutting Distance (m)
2.0 0.6
Avg. Delam. Depth (mm)

10000 rpm 0.4

1.5
0.2

1.0 0.0
0.00 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.10 0.12 0.14 0.16 0.18
0.5 2.54 m/min
5.08 m/min aeff (mm)
10.16 m/min
0.0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Figure 14: Variation of average delamination depth with effective chip
thickness. Dark symbols: cutting distance = 2.5 m. White symbols:
Cutting Distance (m)
cutting distance = 26 m.
2.0
Avg. Delam. Depth (mm)

15000 rpm
1.5

1.0
The delamination data in Figure 13 was extrapolated to
2.54 m/min
0.5
5.08 m/min
the threshold delamination depth of 1.5 mm and the
10.16 m/min cutting distance corresponding to this threshold was
0.0 recorded for each combination of cutting speed and feed
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
rate. The tool life corresponding to these conditions is
Cutting Distance (m) recorded in Table 3. The tool life for a given combination
of cutting speed and feed rate is determined from the
Figure 13: Variation of average delamination length with cutting cutting distance by the relationship:
conditions.

T = D/Vf

where T is tool life in minutes and D is the cutting

distance in meters. An analysis of variance (ANOVA)
was carried out in Stat Ease to develop a generalized
empirical equation for tool life. The regression equations
for the two responses, tool life (minutes) and power (hp) Surface roughness in the longitudinal direction increased
is given by: with an increase in feed rate and a decrease in spindle
speed, corresponding to large effective chip thickness.
T = 36.33 + 1.529E-3 Vc - 0.085 Vf
Fracture of the pointed pyramid tips occurred generally
at high feed rates and low spindle speeds,
corresponding to large effective chip thickness.
Power = +0.056 + 5.433E-5 Vc + 6.143E-4 Vf
Power and delamination measurement were sensitive to
Examination of the equations above reveals that feed
machining conditions, namely spindle speed and feed
rate has more pronounced effect on both tool life and
rate, with feed rate being more significant than spindle
power consumption than spindle speed, implying that by
speed.
maintaining lower feed rate and higher spindle speed,
better tool life, lower power consumption and lower
The tool life equation in minutes and the power equation
delamination levels are achieved. This trend of increase
in HP were determined by conducting an ANOVA
in tool life, by maintaining higher spindle speed is in
analysis of tool life data based on a delamination depth
agreement with the findings in [15].
threshold.
The equations above represent the generalized formula
used for tool replacement, after which the trimming
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
operation of CFRP composite material using the burr
tool would produce delamination damage above the set This project was funded in part by the Wichita State
threshold value of 1.5 mm. Thus, by substituting the University Manufacturing Innovation and Development in
values of the machining parmaters, namely cutting Aviation Initiative (MIND). The authors thank the MIND
speed and feed rate, it is possible to determine the value team for their valuable support and input throughout this
of tool life in minutes and the value of net cutting power project.
beyond which the burr tool should be replaced. Such
information is useful for a machine operator on the shop REFERENCES
floor because it allows indirect inspection of the tool
status without having to stop the machine and inspect 1. A. Koplev, A. Lystrup, T. Vorm, The cutting process,
the tool under a microscope. For machines equipped chips, and cutting forces in machining CFRP,
with a power meter, knowledge about tool wear status Composites 14 (1983) 371 – 376.
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composite materials’, Proceedings of the Institution
of Mechanical Engineers, V 217, 2002, PP-35-45. Jamal Sheikh-Ahmad is an associate professor of
11. Ramulu, M. “Characterization of Surface Quality in manufacturing engineering at Wichita State University.
Machining of Composites,” in Machining of Ceramics He is currently a visiting associate professor of
and Composites, S. Jahanmir, M. Ramulu, P. Koshy mechanical engineering at the Petroleum Institute of Abu
(editors), Marcel Dekker, 1995, 573-648. Dhabi. His background is in traditional and nontraditional
12. Janaradhanth, P. “Tool Wear of Diamond machining of metals and composites, tool wear analysis
Interlocking Tools in Routing CFRP,” Masters and tool condition monitoring. He can be reached at +
Thesis, Wichita State University, 2005. 971 2 508 5338, or by E-mail: jahmad@pi.ac.ae.

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