Evaluation of Peripheral Milling and Abrasive Water Jet Cutting in CFRP Manufacturing: Analysis of Defects and Surface Quality
Alejandro Sambruno,
Álvaro Gómez-Parra,
Pablo Márquez,
Iñaki Tellaeche-Herrera,
Moisés Batista
Affiliations
Alejandro Sambruno
School of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Design Department, University of Cadiz, Av. Universidad de Cadiz 10, 11519 Puerto Real, Cadiz, Spain
Álvaro Gómez-Parra
School of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Design Department, University of Cadiz, Av. Universidad de Cadiz 10, 11519 Puerto Real, Cadiz, Spain
Pablo Márquez
School of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Design Department, University of Cadiz, Av. Universidad de Cadiz 10, 11519 Puerto Real, Cadiz, Spain
Iñaki Tellaeche-Herrera
School of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Design Department, University of Cadiz, Av. Universidad de Cadiz 10, 11519 Puerto Real, Cadiz, Spain
Moisés Batista
School of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Design Department, University of Cadiz, Av. Universidad de Cadiz 10, 11519 Puerto Real, Cadiz, Spain
The use of carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) is crucial in industries, such as aerospace, automotive, and marine, due to their excellent strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance. However, machining CFRP is challenging due to its abrasive nature, which can cause premature tool wear. Some of the commonly used processes for machining these materials are dry milling and abrasive water jet machining (AWJM), which offer the best alternatives from an environmental point of view. This article presents an analysis of the defects and surface quality obtained in CFRP after machining by AWJM and milling. For this purpose, combinations of relevant parameters have been chosen for each process: cutting speed and tool wear in milling and traverse feed rate and hydraulic pressure in AWJM. The results obtained have been evaluated from two points of view: macroscopically, through the evaluation of delamination, and microscopically, through the study of the roughness in terms of Ra. Furthermore, a discussion on functional, environmental, economic, and social terms has been made between both processes. In summary, each machining process generates a specific type of delamination: Type II in milling and Type I in AWJM. In addition, the best Ra results are obtained for pressures of 1200 bar in AWJM.
