Modelling and analysis of thrust force in drilling of GFRP Composites using Response Surface Methodology (RSM)

In recent days, Glass Fiber Reinforced Polyester (GFRP) Composites play important role in aircraft primary structures due to their high strength and low thermal expansion. The drilling process is a traditional cutting process in which hole is made in the material that is being drilled. The drilling process and tool parameters play a major role in deciding the quality of holes. In this paper an attempt has been made to establish an empirical relationship between the thrust force and drilling parameters (tool rotational speed, tool feed rate, drill diameter and fiber orientation angle) in drilling of GFRP Composites. Statistical tools such as design of experiments, analysis of variance, and regression analysis are used to develop the relationships. The developed empirical relationship can be effectively used to predict the thrust force of drilled holes at the 99 per cent confidence level. (c) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Noorul Islam Centre for Higher Education