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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a statistical model for delamination and thrust forcing during drilling of carbon-fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites using response surface methodology (RSM) to determine the input parameters (drill speed, drill diameter and feed rate) that influences the output response (delamination and thrust force) in the machining of CFRP composite using solid carbide drill cutter. Design/methodology/approach Three factors, three levels central composite face centred (CCFC) design, is used to conduct the experiments on CFRP by carbide drill. The whole quality evaluation (delamination) was done by video measuring system to measure the width of maximum damage of the machined CFRP composite. The thrust forces during drilling are measured using digital multi-component cutting force (Make: IEICOS, Model: 652) dynamometer. The “Design Expert 7.0” is used to analyse the data collected graphically. An analysis of variance is carried out to validate the model and for determining the most significant parameter. Findings The response surface model is used to predict the input factors influencing the delamination and thrust force on the drilled surfaces of CFRP composite at different cutting conditions with the chosen range of 95 per cent confidence intervals. The analysis on the influences of the entire individual input machining parameters on the delamination and thrust force has been carried out using RSM. This investigation revealed that the drill diameter is the eminent factor which affects the responses. Originality/value In all, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5 mm holes have been successfully made on CFRP using vertical machining center, whereas the previous researchers have not drilled hole size less than 1 mm in CFRP using vertical machining center.

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