Numerical prediction of the chip formation and damage response in CFRP cutting with a novel strain rate based material model

Carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRPs) are susceptible to various cutting damages. An accurate model that could efficiently predict the material removal and chip formation mechanisms will thus help to reduce the damages during cutting and further improved machining quality can be pursued. In previous studies, macro numerical models have been proposed to predict the orthogonal cutting of the CFRP laminates with subsurface damages under quasi-static loading conditions. However, the strain rate effect on the material behaviours has rarely been considered in the material modelling process, which would lead to the inaccurate prediction of the cutting process and damage extent, especially at high cutting speed. To address this issue, a novel material failure model is developed in this work by incorporating the strain rate effect across the damage initiation (combined Hashin and Puck laws) and evolution criteria. The variation in material properties with the strain rate is considered for the characterization of the stress-strain relationships under different loading speeds. With this material model, a three-dimensional macro numerical model is established to simulate the orthogonal cutting of CFRPs under four typical fibre cutting angles. The machining process and cutting force simulated by the proposed model are well agreed with the results of the CFRP orthogonal cutting experiments, and the prediction accuracy has been improved compared with the model without considering the strain rate effect. In addition, the effects of processing conditions on the subsurface damage in machining CFRPs under 135 degrees are assessed. The subsurface damage is found to decrease with the cutting speed increases to 100 mm/s, afterwards, it tends to be stable when the cutting speed is over 100 mm/s. The increased severity of the subsurface damage is predicted with the higher cutting depths.

Automated summary

A novel material failure model is developed in this study to predict the orthogonal cutting of CFRP. By considering the strain rate effect, the prediction accuracy of the model is improved. The effects of processing conditions on subsurface damage are also evaluated.