Journal of Materials Processing Technology 140 (2003) 335339

Comprehensive analysis of delamination in drilling

of composite materials with various drill bits
H. Hocheng

, C.C. Tsao
Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing-Hua University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan, ROC
Abstract
Beside the twist drill, the effects of various drill geometries were rarely discussed in analytical fashion. This study presents a compre-
hensive analysis of delamination in use of various drill types, such as saw drill, candle stick drill, core drill and step drill. In this analysis,
the critical thrust force at the onset of delamination is predicted and compared with the twist drill.
2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Delamination; Drilling; Saw drill; Candle stick drill; Core drill; Sep drill
1. Introduction
Composite materials possess peculiar characteristics that
govern behavior during machining. Drilling is the most fre-
quently employed operation of secondary machining for
ber-reinforced materials owing to the need for structure
joining. Twist drills are widely used in industry to produce
holes rapidly and economically. In fact, the chisel edge of
the drill point pushes aside the material at the center as it
penetrates into the hole. Various drills have been used for
neat drilling of composite materials, such as saw drill, can-
dle stick drill and core drill etc.
The delamination damage caused by the tool thrust has
been recognized as one of the major problem during drilling.
A lot of reference of the drilling of ber-reinforced plastics
reports that the quality of the cut surfaces is strongly depen-
dent on drilling parameter [1]. As early as 1967, the fact that
a rapid increase in feed rate at the end of drilling will cause
the cracking around the exit edge of the hole was found [2].
It was also stated that the larger the feeding load, the more
serious the cracking. The drill geometry is also considered
the most important factor that affects drill performance [3].
Damage development and detection, new tooling design,
and the inuences of cutting conditions have been studied
[4,5].
Haggerty and Ernst found that spiral point drills per-
formed much well than the conventional ones [6]. Wu used

Corresponding author. Tel.: +886-3-5715137x3748;

fax: +886-3-5722840.
E-mail address: hocheng@pme.nthu.edu.tw (H. Hocheng).
multifaceted drills to reduce the thrust force [7]. Doerr et al.
designed the drill to cut materials toward the hole center
and to shear at the hole edge [8]. The inuence of tool wear
and the resulting increase of thrust were discussed [912].
Koenig et al. investigated the effect of processing variables
on drilling damage [13]. A general overview of the various
possibilities for composites machining can be found [14].
Drilling-induced delamination occurs both at the entrance
and the exit planes of the workpiece. Investigators have stud-
ied analytically and experimentally cases in which delam-
ination in drilling have been correlated to the thrust force
during exit of the drill. The rst analytical model to de-
termine the critical thrust force of the drill was formulated
by Hocheng and Dharan [15]. They employed linear elas-
tic fracture mechanics (LEFM) method and solved for the
critical thrust force that relates the delamination of compos-
ite laminates to drilling parameters and composite material
properties. Sadat et al. used the nite element analysis to
predict the load causing delamination in graphite/epoxy ma-
terial in a drilling operation [16]. Jain and Yang developed
a realistic model for correlating the feed rate with the onset
of delamination [17,18].
These works simplied the drilling thrust force by a rep-
resentative single concentrated central load. Beside the twist
drill, the effects of various drill geometries were rarely dis-
cussed in analytical fashion. This study presents a compre-
hensive analysis of delamination in use of various drill types,
such as saw drill, candle stick drill, core drill and step drill.
In this analysis, the critical thrust force at the onset of de-
lamination for various special drills is mathematically pre-
dicted and compared with the conventional twist drill.
0924-0136/$ see front matter 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/S0924-0136(03)00749-0
336 H. Hocheng, C.C. Tsao / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 140 (2003) 335339
2. Delamination analysis
Delamination is considered as the principal failure model
in drilling of composite materials. It is analyzed using classi-
cal plate bending theory and linear elastic fracture mechanic.
The possible mechanisms causing delamination at both exit
and entry are described, and the critical thrust and cutting
force leading to the onset of delamination are predicted. In
consideration of the expense of time and cost, an analytical
approach is endeavored to embody the aspects of materials
and process parameters in a model to predict the onset of
delamination [19].
2.1. Physical model
Fig. 1 depicts the drilling of composite materials. At the
propagation of delamination, the drill movement of distance
dX is associated with the work done by the thrust force F
A
,
which is used to deect the plate as well as to propagate the
interlaminar crack. The energy balance equation gives
G
IC
dA = F
A
dXdU (1)
where dU is the innitesimal strain energy, dA the increase
in the area of the delamination crack, and G
IC
the critical
crack propagation energy per unit area in mode I.
2.2. Mathematical analysis
2.2.1. Conventional concentrated central load (twist drill)
[15]
Fig. 2 depicts the schematics of delamination. In Fig. 2,
the center of the circular plate is loaded by a twist drill
Fig. 1. Schematics of drilling in composite materials.
Fig. 2. Circular plate model for delamination analysis (twist drill).
of diameter d. F
A
is the thrust force, X the displacement,
H the workpiece thickness, h the uncut depth under tool,
and a the radius of delamination. The isotropic behav-
ior and pure bending of the laminate are assumed in the
model.
For a circular plate subject to clamped ends and a con-
centrated load, the stored strain energy U is
U =
8MX
2
a
2
(2)
where
M =
Eh
3
12(1 v
2
)
(3)
and the displacement X is
X =
F
A
a
2
16M
(4)
The thrust force at the onset of crack propagation can be
calculated
F
A
=
_
32G
IC
M =
_
8G
IC
Eh
3
3(1
2
)
_
1/2
(5)
The applied thrust force should not exceed this value, which
is a function of the material properties and the uncut thick-
ness, to avoid delamination. Thrust force can be correlated
with feed rate.
2.2.2. Circular load (saw drill)
Fig. 3 depicts a saw drill and the induced delamination,
where c is the radius of saw drill. Saw drill can acquire bet-
ter machining quality in drilling composite laminates. One
reason is that saw drill utilizes the peripherally distributed
thrust for drilling the composite laminates.
The critical thrust force (F
S
) at the onset of crack propa-
gation can be calculated
F
S
=
_
32G
IC
M
1 2s
2
+s
4
(6)
Fig. 3. Circular plate model for delamination analysis (saw drill).
H. Hocheng, C.C. Tsao / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 140 (2003) 335339 337
Fig. 4. Circular plate model for delamination analysis (candle stick drill).
where s = c/a. The comparison of F
S
and F
A
in Eqs. (6)
and (5) gives
F
S
F
A
=
1
_
(1 2s
2
+s
4
)
(7)
2.2.3. Concentrated centered load associated with circular
load (candle stick drill)
Fig. 4 depicts the schematics of a candle stick drill and
the induced delamination. Candle stick drill is extensively
used for drilling composite materials. The thrust force of the
candle stick drill can be considered as a concentrated center
load plus the distributed circular load. Using the method
of superposition, the thrust force F
C
can be expressed as
follows:
F
C
= p
1
+p
2
(8)
where p
1
and p
2
are the central concentrated force and the
peripheral circular force, respectively, as shown in Fig. 4.
The energy balance equation can be expressed as follows:
G
IC
2a =
_
p
1
dX
1
da
+p
2
dX
2
da
_

_
dU
1
da
+
dU
2
da
_
=
p
2
1
a
16M
+
p
2
2
16M
_
a
2c
2
a
+
c
4
a
3
_
(9)
where the subscripts 1 and 2 denote the variables for the
central concentrated force and the peripheral circular force,
respectively. Let
p
2
= p
1
(10)
The thrust force p
1
can be calculated
p
1
=
_
32G
IC
M
1 +
2
(1 2s
2
+s
4
)
(11)
Substituting Eqs. (10) and (11) into Eq. (8), one obtains the
thrust force of the candle stick drill at the onset of crack
Fig. 5. Circular plate model for delamination analysis (core drill).
propagation:
F
C
= (1 +)
_
32G
IC
M
1 +
2
(1 2s
2
+s
4
)
(12)
The comparison of F
C
and F
A
in Eqs. (12) and (5) gives
F
C
F
A
=
1 +
_
1 +
2
(1 2s
2
+s
4
)
(13)
2.2.4. Distributed circular load (core drill)
Fig. 5 depicts the schematics of a core drill and the in-
duced delamination. Since the toolwork contact is located
in a circular area at bottomof drilling core, the thrust force of
the core drill is considered a downward area load (P
1
) sub-
tracted by an upward area load (P
2
), as shown in Fig. 5. Let
P
2
= (1 )
2
P
1
(14)
where t is the thickness of core drill, and the ratio between
thickness and radius of core drill (namely, t = c).
The energy balance equation can be expressed as follows:
G
IC
2a =
_
P
1
dX
1
da
P
2
dX
2
da
_

_
dU
1
da

dU
2
da
_
=
P
2
1
16M
_
a
c
2
2a
_

P
2
2
16M
_
a
c
2
2a
_
(15)
where the subscripts 1 and 2 denote the variables for the
downward force and the upward force, respectively.
For a laminate subject to an uniformly distributed load
(Fig. 6), the following analysis is available [20]. The outer
and inner deection of a circular plate of radius a, which is
clamped and subjected to a uniformly distributed load over
a central circular area of radius c, is given by
(i) 0 r c (inner portion):
X=
P
1
64M
_
_
4a
2
3c
2
+4c
2
ln
c
a
_
2r
2
_
c
2
a
2
4 ln
c
a
_
+
r
4
c
2
_
(16)
338 H. Hocheng, C.C. Tsao / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 140 (2003) 335339
P1
n
~
Delamination
h
H
a
X
c
Drill
q
Fig. 6. Circular plate model for uniform load.
(ii) c r a (outer portion):
X=
P
1
32M
_
2a
2
+c
2
r
2
_
2 +
c
2
a
2
_
+2c
2
ln
r
a
+4r
2
ln
r
a
_
(17)
The stored strain energy is
(i) 0 r c (inner portion):
U
1
=
_
c
0
M
_
_
d
2
X
dr
2
+
1
r
dX
dr
_
2
_
r dr
=
P
2
1
64M
_
2c
2
3

c
4
a
2
+
c
6
2a
4

4c
4
a
2
ln
c
a
+4c
2
ln
c
a
+8c
2
_
ln
c
a
_
2
_
(18)
(ii) c r a (outer portion):
U
2
=
_
a
c
M
_
d
2
X
dr
2
+
1
r
dX
dr
_
2
r dr
=
P
2
1
64M
_
2a
2
2c
2
+
c
4
2a
2

c
6
2a
4
8c
2
_
ln
c
a
_
2
+
4c
4
a
2
ln
c
a
_
(19)
The critical thrust force P
1
at the onset of crack propa-
gation can be calculated:
P
1
=
_
32G
IC
M
1 (1/2)s
2
(20)
where s = c/a. The comparison of P
1
and F
A
in
Eqs. (20) and (5) gives
P
1
F
A
=
1
_
1 (1/2)s
2
(21)
The critical thrust force F
CR
at the onset of crack prop-
agation can be calculated:
F
CR
=(2 )

_
32G
IC
M
{[1 (1 )
4
] (1/2)s
2
[1 (1 )
6
]}
(22)
The comparison of F
CR
and F
A
in Eqs. (22) and (5) gives
F
CR
F
A
=
(2 )
_
{[1 (1 )
4
] (1/2)s
2
[1 (1 )
6
]}
(23)
2.2.5. Stepwise distributed circular load (step drill)
DiPaolo et al. uses an experimental setup that exploits
the technology of video to view the complete crack growth
as the drill emerges from the bottom side of the workpiece
[21]. It reported that the crack growth is divided into three
regions. Region 1 is identied as the initial growth of the
crack, mostly within the drill radius, formed under the forces
due to the chisel edge and cutting lips of the drill. The sec-
ond region, the end of which is marked with the end of
thrust force, is characterized by crack growth due to the force
exerted by the cutting lips only. The third region of crack
growth is due to the drill force after the cutting lips and the
chisel edge exited the laminate. In order to realize the proce-
dure of drilling composite plate with a step drill (Fig. 7(a)),
the whole drilling processes were divided into eight steps as
shown Fig. 7(b)(e). The sequence shows how the step drill
Fig. 7. Circular plate model for delamination analysis (step drill).
H. Hocheng, C.C. Tsao / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 140 (2003) 335339 339
emerges from the laminate. Before the chisel edge emerges
from the laminate, the chisel edge and primary cutting lips
exert an uniformly distributed load on the laminate. When
the chisel edge exits the laminate, the force evolves to a dis-
tributed circular force. The critical thrust force (F
T
) at the
onset of crack propagation can be calculated:
(F
T
)
i
=[1 (i)
2
]

_
32G
IC
M
{[1 (i)
4
] (1/2)s
2
[1 (i)
6
]}
, i = 1n
(24)
where n is the number of sequential increment of secondary
cutting lips in action, the divided thickness of the last
laminar according to n. The critical thrust force (F
T
) based
on the concentrated force assumption is given in Eq. (5).
Thus, the ratio between the two critical thrust forces becomes
(F
T
)
i
F
A
=
[1 (i)
2
]
_
{[1 (i)
4
] (1/2)s
2
[1 (i)
6
]}
, i = 1n
(25)
While i = 1n indicates the chisel edge and the primary
cutting lips that emerged from the laminate, the secondary
cutting lips cut and bend the last laminar.
3. Discussions and summary
The reduction of critical thrust force for various drills
is shown in Table 1. The physical effects of various drill
geometry can be illustrated mathematically as follows:
(1) For saw drill, the case of s = 0 reduces the twist drill,
while s approaches to 1 allows for very high critical
thrust force.
(2) For candle stick drill, the case of = 0 reduces to the
twist drill, while = approaches to the saw drill.
(3) For core drill, the case of s = 0 and = 1 reduces to
the twist drill.
Table 1
Reduction of critical thrust force for various drills
Twist drill, Saw drill, Core drill,
Saw drill, s = 0
Candle stick drill, = 0 =
Core drill, = 1, s = 0
Step drill, i = = 0, s = 0 i = = 0, = 1
(4) For step drill, the case of i = = 0 and s = 0 reduces
to the twist drill case. While i = = 0 and = 1
approaches to the core drill.
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