Drilling of uni-directional glass fiber reinforced plastic (UD-GFRP) composite laminates

Drilling of fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) composite materials is a field open to a plethora of questions. Drilling-induced damage is a research area that has not been explored exhaustively. The present research endeavor is an effort to correlate drilling-induced damage with drilling parameters. Tool point geometry is considered a major factor that influences drilling-induced damage. Experiments were conducted and drilling-induced damage was quantified using the digital image processing technique. The results also reestablished the cutting speed to feed ratio as an important variable that influences drilling-induced damage. Mathematical models for thrust, torque, and damage are proposed that agree well with the experiments.