Recent advances in drilling of carbon fiber–reinforced polymers for aerospace applications: a review

Abstract

Drilling is considered as one of the more challenging problems in the aerospace structures stringent tolerance required for fasteners such as rivets and bolts to join the mating parts for the final assembly. Fiber-reinforced polymers are widely used in aeronautical applications due to their superior properties. One of the major challenges lays in the machining such polymers is the poor drilled-hole quality which reduces the strength of the composite and leads to part rejection at the assembly stage. In addition, rapid tool wear due to the abrasive nature of composites requires frequent tool change which result in high tooling and machining costs. This review intended to give in-depth details on the progress of drilling of fiber-reinforced polymers with special attention given to carbon fiber reinforced polymers. The objective is to give a comprehensive understanding of the role of drilling parameters and composite properties on the drilling induced damage in machined holes. Also, the review looks into the drilling process parameters and its optimization techniques, and the effects of dust/ aerosols on human health during the machining process. This review will provide the scientific and industrial communities with their advantages and disadvantages through better drilled-hole quality inspection.

Optimization and Modeling of Process Parameters in Multi-Hole Simultaneous Drilling Using Taguchi Method and Fuzzy Logic Approach

“…Machining parameters play a significant role in any drilling operation where optimal process parameters help in achieving high-quality holes [15]. Several researchers have focused on different methods for the optimization of machining processes, where some of the recent studies are summarized in Table 1.…”

Microstructural investigation and hole quality evaluation in S2/FM94 glass-fibre composites under dry and cryogenic conditions

“…Nevertheless, they are characterised by high compressive and tensile strength, coupled with temperature and impact resistance making it an attractive choice for aeronautical structures that undergo impact loadings. 5 In the aerospace industry, CFRPs (Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastics) are mainly used in the primary structural components of an aircraft such as the wing aileron, flaps, spoilers, tailplane and main landing gear fairings, 13,26 while GFRPs (Glass Fibre Reinforced Plastics) are used in primary and secondary structural components such as the radome (the dome-like shell that protects a radar assembly in aircraft), belly fairing skins, floor panels, and passenger compartments. 13,26 Moreover, GFRPs can be also bonded with metals to create hybrid fibre metal laminates used in sections of the fuselage.…”

Performance Assessment of Minimum Quantity Castor-Palm Oil Mixtures in Hard-Milling Operation

“…It is determined by the scratching of tool material on the surface of the workpiece. A lower surface roughness value achieves better fatigue, corrosion, and abrasion resistance of the workpiece and higher cooperation accuracy [ 23 , 24 ]. Here, the values of R a for different castor-palm mixtures were as follows: castor-palm oil mixture (1:0.5), 0.375 µm; castor-palm oil mixture (1:1), 0.341 µm; castor-palm oil mixture (1:1.5), 0.389 µm; castor-palm oil mixture (1:2), 0.322 µm; castor-palm oil mixture (1:2.5), 0.361 µm; castor-palm oil mixture (1:3), 0.421 µm.…”