Influence of drill bit material on the bearing strength of holes in GFRP composite

Abstract

The article aims at assessing the influence of the drill bit material on the bearing strength of holes made in glass fabric reinforced epoxy composite. Six twists made of widely used drill materials such as high speed steels and carbides in different configurations were selected to drill holes in the composite. In the first stage of the work, optimum drilling parameters were selected and then used for drilling holes in specimens tested in single lap shear experiments. For each tested specimen two different delamination factors, one based on the delamination area and another - on its diameter, were calculated in order to assess the quality of the holes and then compared to the results of the bearing strength experiments. The results of the bearing tests showed that the highest strength was achieved for the high speed steel drill with titanium coating while the lowest for the cemented carbide drill. This finding is in opposition to the majority of results reported in literature.

Keywords

• fibre reinforced composites
• drilling
• bolted joining
• bearing strength
• delamination