Journal of Manufacturing Processes 34 (2018) 51–61

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Journal of Manufacturing Processes

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Experimental investigations on drilling of lignocellulosic fiber reinforced T

composite laminates
⁎
Mridusmita Roy Choudhurya, Maddula Shanmuka Srinivasb, Kishore Debnatha,
a
Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Meghalaya, Meghalaya, 793 003, India
b
Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Ann’s College of Engineering and Technology, Andhra Pradesh, 523 187, India

A R T I C LE I N FO A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Natural or lignocellulosic fibre reinforced composites have a plethora of salient characteristics such as low
Composites density, fairly good mechanical properties; consume low energy during processing and non-toxic to the en-
Forces vironment. Due to these properties, lignocellulosic fibre reinforced composites have many applications in the
Temperature engineering field. Drilling is an inevitable machining operation because it facilitates the assembly of different
Delamination
parts of a structure. This paper presents the drilling performance of lignocellulosic fibre reinforced polymer
Surface roughness
composites. The experimental investigation was carried out using 4-facet, 8-facet, dagger, step and parabolic
drill bits at a different combination of feed and speed of the drill bit. The drilling performance was evaluated in
terms of drilling forces, delamination and surface roughness of the machined hole. Additionally, the influence of
the drilling temperature on the force and damage has been experimentally investigated.

1. Introduction composites also limit their application spectrum to low-temperature

Lignocellulosic fibre reinforced composites are used in numerous
practices ranging from construction, aviation, and automobile in-
dustries due to their diversified advantages such as low-carbon foot-
print, low-cost, non-abrasive nature and adequate thermal, electrical
and mechanical properties [1]. These biodegradable materials are
highly competitive and are extensively used as an alternative to the
conventional non-biodegradable composites. Lignocellulosic fibre
based composite products are fabricated close to the final shape during
the primary manufacturing process, thus, reduces the need for the
secondary manufacturing process. But the manufacturing of intricate
product requires consolidation of several parts together by means of
mechanical fastening which can be achieved by making hole and then
installing the fasteners. Therefore, drilling was recognized as an es-
sential machining operation to meet the integrity of the final product
[2]. But drilling behaviour of lignocellulosic fibre reinforced compo-
sites does exhibit different behaviour in several ways from that of
metals and alloys because of their anisotropy and heterogeneous nature
[3]. Moreover, drilling causes damage of the hole in terms of chipping,
delamination, spalling, fibre pull-out etc. The main reasons for such
damages are high drilling forces and temperature. The poor interfacial
bonding strength between hydrophobic polymer and hydrophilic lig-
nocellulosic fibre also affects the mechanical and machining perfor-
mance of these composites [4]. Lignocellulosic fibre reinforced
engineering practices as they have the tendency to degrade at low
temperature (≈200 °C). Also, lignocellulosic fibre reinforced compo-
sites have poor thermal conductivity as compared to the conventional
metals and alloys, and hence, they could not ably dissipate the heat
generated during machining [5]. These comply that the drilling beha-
viour of lignocellulosic fibre reinforced composites is quite complex and
need a better understanding of the process mechanism to produce su-
perior quality holes. A handful of investigations have been reported
pertaining to the area of drilling behaviour of lignocellulosic fibre re-
inforced composites. Bajpai et al. [6] investigated the hole making
performance of sisal/polypropylene composites using different drill bits
at various feed and speed of the drill bit. Innovative tool point geometry
was conceptualized and developed which showed that the developed
cutting tool can significantly reduce the damage of the drilled hole as
compared to the twist drill bit in nettle/epoxy and sisal/epoxy lami-
nates [7]. The drilling investigation on nettle/polypropylene composite
has been carried out [8]. The results inferred that parabolic drill bit
coupled with low feed and high spindle speed reduces the induced
drilling forces. Bajpai et al. [9] statistically established the fact that drill
geometry is the vital parameter that influences both forces and damage
produced during making of holes in grewia optiva/PLA and sisal/PLA
laminates. The drilling behaviour of unidirectional sisal/epoxy and
sisal/polypropylene composites were studied [10]. The authors sug-
gested that the drilling performance of these composites depend not

⁎
Corresponding author.
E-mail address: debnath.iitr@gmail.com (K. Debnath).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmapro.2018.05.032
Received 4 June 2017; Received in revised form 10 January 2018; Accepted 29 May 2018
1526-6125/ © 2018 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
M. Roy Choudhury et al.
Fig. 1. Drilling set-up and the eqipment used to anlyse the drilled hole.
only on the type of polymer reinforced with the fibres but also on the
geometry of the drill bit and cutting parameters. Jayabal et al. [11]
explored the performance of hole making in coir/polyester composites.
It was established that the performance of a drill bit of 6 mm diameter is
noteworthy as it generates minimum forces and tool wear as compared
to the higher drill bit diameters. Athijayamani et al. [12] recommended
that the chemical treatment of natural fibres improves the machin-
ability of hybrid composites. It was also reported that the fibre content
of 30% and the alkali treatment enhances the dimensional accuracy of
the drilled hole. The drilling performance of other type of lig-
nocellulosic fibre reinforced composites such as flax/polypropylene
composites [13]; glass/coir/polyester hybrid composites [14]; coir/
polyester composites [15,16]; basalt/sisal composites [17]; sisal/glass/
vinyl ester hybrid composites [18]; hemp/polyester, jute/polyester,
banana/polyester and glass/polyester composites [19]; bamboo/
polyester composites [20]; roselle/sisal/polyester hybrid composite
[21]; and banana/epoxy composites [22] have also been investigated.
Yashiro et al. [23] stated that drilling temperature also significantly
affects the integrity of the drilled hole. Therefore, the analysis of both
force and temperature induced during drilling are important as these
parameters exert an influence on the life span of the drill bit and quality
of the hole. Weinert and Kempmann [24]; Pinho et al. [25]; Ramesh
et al. [26]; Li et al. [27]; and Merino et al. [28] have focused their
investigation on drilling temperature and its influence on the quality of
the hole produced in synthetic fibre composites. The investigation on
the analysis of temperature during drilling of lignocellulosic fibre re-
inforced composites is rarely reported in the literature. Hence, in this
experimental endeavour, an emphasis is given to investigate the tem-
perature that generates during drilling of lignocellulosic fibre re-
inforced composites along with the induced drilling forces, delamina-
tion and surface roughness of the hole.
2. Material and methods
2.1. Fabrication of composites
Nettle fibres in woven form were used as reinforcement for fabri-
cating the laminate. Nettle fibres are often used in aircraft panels due to
their excellent breaking tenacity and flexibility properties [29,30].
Fibre-yielding plant, Himalayan nettle (girardinia diversifolia) is abun-
dantly cultivated in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR). Hand lay-up
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Journal of Manufacturing Processes 34 (2018) 51–61
technique was applied to reinforce the commercially available epoxy
resin (LY 556 and HY 951) into the woven fabric nettle fibre mats.
Initially, the hydrophilic nettle fibres were pre-heated in an oven at
80 °C for 6 h to remove the absorbed moisture. A total of 4 layers of
woven fabric mats were used to manufacture a laminate of 4 mm
thickness. These 4 layers of fibre mats contribute a weight fraction of
55% of the total weight of laminates. The epoxy resin is reinforced into
mats of fibre using nip-roller-type impregnators. After impregnation of
resin into the fibre mats, the complete system is kept under the standard
atmospheric condition to cure the epoxy resin. The laminates are then
cut into required dimensions.
2.2. Measurements
The drilling performance of the laminates was investigated under
dry condition using knee-type vertical milling machine (Make: Batliboi
Ltd., Model: BFV5). The prepared composite specimen was mounted on
a fixture that was clamped on a dynamometer. The dynamometer can
measure the force to a range of −5–+100 kN in the Z direction with a
sensitivity of -3, 7 pC/N. The natural frequency of the dynamometer is
approximately 3, 5 kHz. The dynamometer was attached to the multi-
channel charge amplifier (Make: Kistler, Type: 5070 A) and data ac-
quisition card (Make: Kistler, Type 5697A1). The force signals were
captured using data acquisition software (Dynoware, Version: 2.3: 5.16,
Type: 2825-A-02) that is installed in the personal computer. A very high
sampling rate is considered and set to 1000 Hz so that the minor var-
iation in the signals can be detected. The holes were produced at dif-
ferent levels of feed (8, 16 and 22.4 mm/min) and spindle speed (710,
1400 and 2000 RPM) using 4-facet, 8-facet, step, parabolic and dagger
drill bits. All the drill bits were of the same diameter (8 mm) and made
of solid carbide. The whole experimental set-up and drill bits under
investigation are shown in Figs. 1 and 2, respectively. Table 1 re-
presents the important dimensions of the drill bits under investigation.
The drilling temperature was measured using infrared camera and
software. Thermographic camera (Make: Testo, Model: 885-2 SET) was
used to measure the in-situ temperature that generates at the top ply of
the laminate during the drilling operation. The recorded thermographs
were further analysed using Data Capture Program (1394) (TH71-717,
Version: 2.0 C) to calculate the temperature of the hotspot. The infrared
camera features an infrared resolution of 320 × 240 pixels, thermal
sensitivity of < 30 mK at + 30 °C, and the accuracy of ± 2 °C. The
M. Roy Choudhury et al. Journal of Manufacturing Processes 34 (2018) 51–61

Fig. 2. Construction of solid drill bits under investigation.

Table 1 temperature range was utilised as 0 °C to + 650 °C. The thermographs

Dimensions of the drill bits under investigation. were obtained during the different stages of the drilling operation.
Drill Geometry Point Angle Lip Clearance Angle Helix Angle
Digital imaging software was used to estimate the damage produced
during drilling. The snapshots of the drilled holes were taken using
Parabolic 135° 10° 46° Digital Camera (Canon EOS-700 D). For analysis purpose, the digital
Step: images were imported into the ImageJ software (Version: 1.42). The
Primary cutting edge 118° 10° 10°
Secondary cutting edge 180° 15°
aspect ratio of the pixel was set as unity to prevent the distortion of the
Dagger 30° 70° 0° hole which may result in an erroneous result. The actual hole diameter
4-Facet 118° 20° 22° (8 mm) was set as a reference in terms of pixel/mm to calculate the
8-Facet 118 ° 28° 27° delamination area. Then, a line was drawn using the software tool
covering the delamination area all around the drilled hole. The area of

53
M. Roy Choudhury et al.
Fig. 3. Measurement of delamination factor.
this closed curve includes both hole nominal area and delaminated
area, as shown in Fig. 3. A non-dimensional factor called delamination
factor (FD ) is used to measure the extent of delamination. Delamination
factor is given by the following equation;
FD =
AMax . A
= Dam .
+ ANom .
=
ADam . + 4 D 2 ()
π
ANom . ANom . π
D2 ()
4 drill bit produces relatively lower axial thrust and torque as compared
Where, ADam. = Damage area of the hole
ANom. = Nominal area of the hole, and
D= Diameter of the hole
The roughness of the hole machined surface was also evaluated
using roughness tester (Surtronic S-128, Make: Taylor Hobson). The
available cut-off lengths of the roughness tester are 0.25, 0.8 and
2.5 mm. The cut-off length of 0.25 mm was chosen to cover the majority
of the hole thickness (4 mm). The measuring speed and returning speed
of the tester is 1 mm/sec and 1.5 mm/sec, respectively. The surface
roughness was measured in six diverse zones of hole surface separated
by 0°–180°. The surface roughness is measured in microns (μm) and the
arithmetic average height (Ra ) was considered throughout the analysis.
Ra is the arithmetic mean of all the vertical deviations from the datum
or the mean line of the roughness contour and mathematically ex-
pressed by the following equation:
L The cutting stage begins just after the indentation stage and culminates
Ra = ∫0 [Y (x )] dx
Where, Ra= Arithmetic deviations from the mean line,
L= Sampling length (2.5 mm), and
Y = Ordinate of the profile
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Analysis of force signals
The force signals captured at several levels of axial feed and the
rotational speed of the drill bits are shown in Figs. 4 and 5, respectively.
It is quite evident that the response of the signals is significantly dif-
ferent for different drill bits are chosen for the purpose of investigation.
This indicates that the construction of drill bit significantly affects the
induced drilling forces. The signal of the step drill bit is substantially
different from other drill bits. The step drill bit produces a hole in two
stages. First, a smaller diameter hole is produced by the primary cutting
lips of the drill bit. Then, the secondary cutting lips participate in
drilling and enlarge the hole already produced in the first stage.
However, a similar characteristic of the torque signals have been ob-
served for all drill bits, though; the peak value of torque is significantly
54
Journal of Manufacturing Processes 34 (2018) 51–61
different for different drill bits. A large oscillation was detected in the
captured signals due to the instantaneous change in the cutting angle
during the drilling cycle. The cutting angle is the angle between the
orientation of the fibre and instantaneous velocity vector of the cutting
lips [31]. This angle changes instantaneously even at an infinitesimal
instant and renders the fracture of fibres in terms of compression,
tension or shearing depending upon the fibre orientation with respect to
the instantaneous position of cutting lips (Fig. 4). Therefore, both the
magnitude and mode of the force change with the cutting angle. The
other plausible reasons of obtaining oscillating signals are hetero-
geneous nature of the laminates, the presence of contiguous region
between the fibres and matrix, the different thermal conductivity of the
fibre and matrix and propagation of intermittent fracture. The figures
also recommend that 8-facet and dagger drill bits result in a lower value
of forces due to the specific features of both the drill bits. It was found
that the axial thrust obtained with dagger drill bit is substantially lower
than the 4-facet drill bit. The axial thrust for 4-facet drill bit is 122 N
and under the identical condition, the axial thrust for dagger drill bit is
44 N. As calculated, the dagger drill bit results in a reduction of 63.93%
of axial thrust in comparison with 4-facet drill bit. The torque value is
also decreased by 7.14% at lower spindle speed, as highlighted in Fig. 5.
Durao et al. [32] also reported that the dagger drill bit produces lower
thrust force due to its unique construction. The multi-faceted drill bit is
designed to reduce the torque by an arc cutting edge in the cutting lip to
increase the rake angle and a reduced chisel edge length to decrease the
axial thrust [33]. The present investigation also revealed that 8-facet
to the 4 facet drill bit.
It is well understood that the overall strength of the laminate is
reduced as the drilling temperature exceeds the glass transition tem-
perature (Tg ) of pristine polymer. The drilling temperature affects both
the quality of drilled hole and life of the tool as well. Thus, a correlation
between the force signals and drilling temperature is done and pre-
sented in Fig. 6. The figure depicts both the correlation between the
temperature generates at the top ply of the laminate and force signal
and the different stages of drilling operation for feed of 8 mm/min and
spindle speed of 710 RPM for 4-facet drill bit. The thermograms pre-
sented in the figure were captured during different stages of drilling viz.
indentation [II-III], cutting [III-IV], reaming [IV-V] and post-drilling
[V-VI]. In indentation stage, the tip or chisel edge of the drill bit ex-
trudes the materials under it which results in sudden boost in the signal.
In this stage, the machining temperature at the top ply was increased at
an unprecedented rate from ambient temperature (21.9 °C) to 68 °C.
as the cutting lips exit the bottom most layer of laminate. In this stage,
the drilling temperature at the top ply was increased from 68 °C to
78.5 °C. The cutting stage is one of the main stages of drilling operation
because the removal of fibre and matrix typically take place at this
stage due to the complete interaction of the drill lips with the laminate.
The axial thrust also reached its maximum value in this stage. The
cutting stage is followed by the reaming stage where the force signal
dies down. The last stage is called post-drilling where the force signal
gets stabilized. The drilling temperature at the top ply also started to
decrease in this stage (89.7 °C to 76.7 °C). The same pattern of drilling
temperature was observed for all drill bits as shown in Fig. 7. The figure
elucidates the thermograms captured at different stages of drilling op-
eration. Fig. 8 represents the drilling temperature for different drill bits
and reveals that the drilling temperature at the top ply is quite low for
8-facet and dagger drill bit. The 8-facet drill bit has additional clearance
faces which help in ease removal of formed chips. The chips carried
away the heat generated during drilling, thus, results in low drilling
temperature at the top ply. The drilling temperature is much higher for
step drill bit as it has a number of cutting lips (primary and secondary
cutting lips) due to which the friction between the drill bit and the
laminate is more.
M. Roy Choudhury et al.
Fig. 4. Signals of axial thrust for different drill bits for feed of 8 mm/min and spindle speed of 710 RPM.
3.2. Analysis of axial thrust and torque
Fig. 9–12 show the response of forces with the cutting parameters
for all type of drill bits. As expected, the feed has a significant influence
on the forces. The higher feed corresponds to the higher value of forces,
as shown in Figs. 9 and 10 respectively. This is accredited to the in-
crease in thickness of the uncut chip with an increase in the feed. The
resistance to cut the constituent materials is increased with feed which
results in higher drilling forces. It was also seen that the changes in
axial thrust with feed are not substantial for dagger drill bit. However,
the torque exerts on the dagger drill bit is increased linearly with feed.
Fig. 11 indicates that the axial thrust linearly decreases as the speed of
the drill bit increases from 710 RPM to 2000 RPM for all type of drill
bits. Reduction of axial thrust with an increase in the level of speed is
due to the lower resistance to cut the materials. The temperature at the
machining zone increases with the spindle speed. This high temperature
causes softening of the cured resin and rationale of generation of lower
cutting force or torque [34]. Debnath et al. [10] observed the similar
behaviour of axial thrust with an increase in feed and spindle speed
during drilling of unidirectional sisal/epoxy and sisal/polypropylene
composites. Abrao and co-workers [35] and Latha and Senthilkumar
[36] found a linear relationship to exist between the thrust force and
Fig. 5. Signals of torque for different drill bits for feed of 22.4 mm/min and spindle speed of 710 RPM.
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Journal of Manufacturing Processes 34 (2018) 51–61
feed rate, and a nonlinear relationship to exist between the torque and
feed rate. Fig. 12 represents the variation of torque with spindle speed.
A discrete variation in the torque value was observed with change in
the speed of the drill bits. The minimum value of forces was obtained
with the 8-facet and dagger drill bits. On the contrary, parabolic and
step drill bits exert maximum torque during drilling of the laminates.
The ambiguity in some results shown in the figures is owing to the
existence of defects such as porosity, resin-rich area, and displacement
of fibre layers.
The drilling mechanism associated with the traditional drill bit and
dagger drill bit is shown in Fig. 13. The drilling forces are largely de-
pendent on the indentation effect induced by the quasi-stationary tip of
the drill bit. It was estimated that more than 50% axial thrust is induced
by the chisel edge alone. The axial thrust obtained with dagger drill bit
was minimum and maximum for 4-facet drill bit. One of the striking
features of the dagger drill bit is that it has a small point angle of 30° as
compared to the other drill bits. The smaller point angle renders the
chisel edge merely to a point and thus, reduces the indentation effect.
Moreover, dagger drill bit does not have any helical twist like tradi-
tional twist drill bit as shown in Fig. 13. The flute helix angle of a twist
drill bit is zero at the drill tip and maximum at the margin. The rake
angle of the cutting lip also depends on the helix angle of the drill flute.
M. Roy Choudhury et al. Journal of Manufacturing Processes 34 (2018) 51–61

Fig. 6. Correlation between drilling temperature and signal of axial thrust.

The rake angle is typically equal to helix angle near the margin of the
drill bit and negative at the drill tip. The chisel edge of the traditional
drill bit has a blunt negative cutting lip. Therefore, the removal of
material mostly depends on the cutting force. The material is mostly
removed by extrusion action. By lip correction, a constant value of rake
angle at any position of cutting lip can be achieved which may increase
the strength of the cutting lips. The straight and flat flute of dagger drill
bit produce a rake angle of 0°. This angle is constant over the entire
length of cutting lip. This facilitates the quick ejection of formed chips
by cutting or shearing off the material. It is also pertinent to mention
that the axial thrust increases as the contact area of the drill bit increase
from chisel size to its nominal value. But the geometry of the dagger
drill bit is designed in such a way that the full diameter engagement
never occurs in 4 mm thick laminate [32]. Therefore, the dagger drill
has proved to be the best drill bit for drilling nettle/epoxy laminates
because of its ability to reduce drilling forces and ease chip evacuation.
3.3. Analysis of drilling temperature
Fig. 14 shows the mapping of drilling temperature at the top ply for
different drill bits and cutting parameters. The drilling temperature at
the top ply was compared with the Tg of the matrix [Tg (epoxy) = 145°C ].
As the drilling temperature exceeds the Tg of the matrix, the softening of
the matrix occurs. The softened matrix cannot support the cutting force
exerted on fibres as the modulus of the matrix is gradually reduced with
a rise in the drilling temperature. It was also observed that the step drill

Fig. 7. Snapshot of the temperature distribution at the top ply for different drilling stages.

56
M. Roy Choudhury et al.
Fig. 8. Drilling temperature variations at the top ply with different drill bits at
different stages of drilling operation.
Fig. 9. Axial thrust versus feed at spindle speed of 1400 RPM.
Fig. 10. Torque versus feed at spindle speed of 710 RPM.
Fig. 11. Axial thrust versus spindle speed at feed of 22.4 mm/min.
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Journal of Manufacturing Processes 34 (2018) 51–61
Fig. 12. Torque versus spindle speed at feed of 22.4 mm/min.
bit results in attaining maximum drilling temperature in the range of
122 °C −162 °C. The drilling temperature at the top ply is 15% greater
than that of Tg of epoxy matrix when drilling was performed with step
drill bit at high spindle speed of 1400–2000 RPM. The temperature
range was minimum when drilling was done with 8-facet and dagger
drill bits. It was also observed that the drilling temperature at the top
ply increases with the spindle speed. But the effect of feed on the
drilling temperature is not clearly understood. However, at the low feed
the interaction between the drill bit and the laminate is more. The
prolonged interaction leads to more rubbing of the fibres with the drill
bit which results in higher drilling temperature. The heat generated
during drilling results in softening of matrix that may offer less re-
sistance to cut the material when compared with cured resin. This could
be one of the plausible reasons of obtaining lower value of forces with
higher drilling temperature [32].
3.4. Analysis of surface roughness
The evaluation of surface roughness of the drilled hole cylindrical
hole is an important consideration as the surface quality of the drilled
hole significantly influences the performance of the final product. The
surface roughness plays a vital role when the factors such as precision
fits, fatigue loads, fastener holes and aesthetic requirements are in-
volved in the designed composite parts. Fig. 15 shows the comparisons
of surface roughness with different drill bits. Taking the 4-facet drill bit
as a reference, the Ra values is decreased by 51.6% with 8-facet drill bit,
15.4% for parabolic drill bit, 36.7% with step drill bit and 52.7% when
using dagger drill bit. This indicates that smoother surfaces can be
produced with dagger and 8-facet drill bits. Whereas, drilling with 4-
facet and parabolic drill bits result in rough surfaces of the drilled hole.
Both the induced drilling forces and temperature are less for dagger and
8-facet drill bits due to which superior quality surfaces are generated
during drilling with these drill bits. This indicates that both the drilling
temperature and forces influence the roughness profile of the machined
surface. The variation in Ra values with feed for different drill bits
chosen for experimental work is shown in Fig. 16. A non-linear re-
lationship was established between the Ra values and the feed for all
drill bits. The Ra values initially increases with feed from 8 to 16 mm/
min and then, decreases even as the feed is further increased from 16 to
22.4 mm/min. A poor surface is obtained when the feed value is high.
Though, the surface finish of the hole produced by the dagger drill bit is
better even at high feed. Ramulu et al. [37] recommended that surface
quality of the hole produced by the carbide dagger drill bit is much
better than the hole produced by the high speed steel drill bit. Fig. 17
shows the behaviour of surface roughness with varying spindle speed.
The Ra values are more pronounced at higher spindle speed as the
drilling temperature is increased with spindle speed. The low thermal
conductivity of the fibre and polymer chosen for the development of the
composite is the major cause of generation of higher temperature at the
machining zone.
M. Roy Choudhury et al. Journal of Manufacturing Processes 34 (2018) 51–61

Fig. 13. Cutting mechanism of the laminate.

Fig. 15. Comparisons of Ra values with different drill bits.

Fig. 14. Comparison of drilling temperature at the top ply with Tg of matrix.

3.5. Analysis of delamination

The extent of delamination during drilling is mostly influenced by

the cutting parameters, characteristics of fibre and matrix and stacking
sequence of fibre mats. The two types of delamination occurred during
drilling of laminates are (i) peel-up delamination and (ii) push-out
delamination. The peel-up delamination generally occurs when the
cutting lips of the drill bit reach to the top ply or lamina of the laminate.
The cutting force pushes the top lamina of the laminate through the
flute of the drill bit which results in separation of the plies. The push-
Fig. 16. Variation of Ra values with feed for spindle speed of 2000 RPM.
out delamination occurs at the exit side of the drilled hole where the
laminate under the drill bit experiences compressive axial thrust. The
lamina of the laminate tends to push away from the adjacent upper ply,

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M. Roy Choudhury et al. Journal of Manufacturing Processes 34 (2018) 51–61

Fig. 17. Variation of Ra values with spindle speed for feed of 8 mm/min.
thus, inter-laminar bond breaks down in the region around the drilled
hole. It was evaluated that the push-out delamination is more prone to
in-service failure than the peel-up delamination. The other types of
damages are fibre/matrix debonding, intra-laminar cracking and
thermal damage. The digital images of the drilled hole are shown in
Fig. 18. The figure implies that the damage produced during drilling of
nettle/epoxy laminate is spread all around the hole as observed during
drilling of glass/epoxy laminates by Bhatnagar et al. [38]. The damage
in the form of a bunch of fibre pull-outs and sheared fibres were ob-
served as the holes are produced by the drill bits except 8-facet drill bit.
Uncut fibres were also detected at the back of the laminate when
drilling was done using step, 4-facet and dagger drill bits. However,
drilling with 8-facet drill bit resulted in minimum damage to the hole.
The figure also suggests that high drilling temperature results in ag-
gravated damage of the hole. The heat generated during drilling affects
the fiber-matrix interfacial properties and in consequence, distortion of
the hole produced by the 4-facet, step, and parabolic drill bits. The
drilling temperature with step drill bit is more than the Tg of epoxy
resin. For other two drill bits, the drilling temperature is close to the Tg .
The generated heat soften the matrix and causes decrease in shear
modulus and thus, relieve the radial stresses exerted on the fibers. The
soft matrix cannot support the fibers against the cutting action by the
cutting lips, i.e., the stresses developed in the matrix is not transferred
to the fibers effectively. Hence, both the fibers and matrix get extruded
instead of cutting or shearing. This phenomenon is more pronounced
with the step drill bits as the drilling temperature is maximum for this
drill bit. This is evident in figure where the bunch of overhanging fibers
was observed at the exit side of the hole.
The variation of peel-up and push-out delamination with the feed
for constant spindle speed of 2000 RPM is shown in Fig. 19. From the
figure, it can be seen that delamination on the exit side is quite high as
compared to that of entry side of the hole. Davim et al. [39] observed
the same phenomenon for carbon/epoxy laminates. The delamination
factor at entry and exit side is increased with the feed for all the drill
bits. Similar observations have been reported by Pinho et al. [25] and
Marques et al. [40] during drilling of carbon fibre reinforced composite
laminates. Therefore, it can be concluded that both the peel-up and
push-out delamination can be reduced by reducing the feed. But the
reduction in feed results in higher drilling temperature. The drilled zone
of the laminate softens and increases the risk of thermal damage. The
figure also reveals that the 8-facet and dagger drill bit results in lower
delamination of the hole. Both the drill bits have additional clearance
faces which result in smooth cutting of fibre and matrix and ease re-
moval of chips. Therefore, the damage produced around the drilled hole
with the 8-facet and dagger drill bits is comparatively less in compar-
ison with other drill bits. The peeling effect increases with an increase
in the helix angle [33]. The dagger drill bit is constructed with a zero
degree helix angle and hence, produces less damage during drilling.
Kishore et al. [41] noticed that the damage of the hole is less during
drilling with the 8-facet drill bit due to additional clearance faces. Pi-
quet et al. [42] recommended that drill bit should have a small rake
angle to avoid peel-up delamination, small chisel edge to reduce the
indentation effect and more cutting lips to increase the interaction
between the cutting lips and the composite part.
4. Conclusion
This paper discusses and presents the drilling performance of lig-
nocellulosic fibre reinforced composites. The influence of the ma-
chining temperature on the forces and damage induced during drilling
has been investigated using a different type of drill bits. The salient
outcomes of the present experimental investigation are as follows:
a) The correlation between the drilling temperature and drilling stages
reveals that drilling temperature gradually increases from the in-
dentation stage to reaming stage for all type of drill bits.
b) As anticipated, the higher feed corresponds to the higher value of
axial thrust and torque. Whereas, the axial thrust decreases with
increase in the speed of the drill bits.

Fig. 18. Damage produced at feed of 22.4 mm/min and spindle speed of 2000 RPM.

59
M. Roy Choudhury et al.
Fig. 19. Variation of delamination factor with feed for different drill bits at spindle speed of 2000 RPM.
c) The high speed in conjunction with low feed should be chosen for
combating the drilling forces. The value of axial thrust recorded
with 8-facet and dagger drill bits is lower than the other drill bits.
Whereas, drilling with 4-facet drill bit results in higher axial thrust.
Taking the 4-facet drill bit as a reference, the axial thrust and torque
were reduced by 63.93% and 7.14% respectively when drilling is
done with dagger drill bit.
d) The drilling temperature increases with spindle speed. The 8-facet
and dagger drill bits generates lower drilling temperature as com-
pared to the other drill bits. The step drill bit induces higher drilling
temperature and at higher spindle speed the drilling temperature
goes beyond the Tg of epoxy resin.
e) The spindle speed has a maximum statistical influence on the dril-
ling temperature followed by drill geometry. The feed was found to
be the insignificant parameter for drilling temperature.
f) The surface roughness of the hole wall increases with feed and
spindle speed. The dagger and 8-facet drill bits produce relatively
smooth machining surface as compared to the other drill bits. The
higher roughness values were evaluated with step and parabolic
drill bits.
g) Both the peel-up and push-out delamination can be reduced by re-
ducing the feed. Delamination on the exit side is substantially higher
than that of entry side of the drilled hole. The drilling induced da-
mage is relatively less for 8-facet and dagger drill bits and maximum
for step drill bit.
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