3a Comparative Study of Tool Life and

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COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TOOL LIFE AND

HOLE QUALITY IN DRILLING OF CFRP/
TITANIUM STACK USING COATED CARBIDE
DRILL
a b
Ozden Isbilir & Elaheh Ghassemieh
a
Medical Engineering Department , Faculty of Engineering, Karabuk
University , Karabük , Turkey
b
School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering , Queens
University of Belfast, Belfast , United Kingdom
Published online: 22 Jul 2013.
To cite this article: Ozden Isbilir & Elaheh Ghassemieh (2013) COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TOOL LIFE
AND HOLE QUALITY IN DRILLING OF CFRP/TITANIUM STACK USING COATED CARBIDE DRILL, Machining
Science and Technology: An International Journal, 17:3, 380-409, DOI: 10.1080/10910344.2013.806098
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10910344.2013.806098
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Machining Science and Technology, 17:380–409
Copyright # 2013 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 1091-0344 print=1532-2483 online
DOI: 10.1080/10910344.2013.806098
COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TOOL LIFE AND HOLE QUALITY

IN DRILLING OF CFRP/TITANIUM STACK USING COATED
CARBIDE DRILL
Ozden Isbilir1 and Elaheh Ghassemieh2

1
Medical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Karabuk University,
Karabük, Turkey
2
School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Queens University of Belfast,
Belfast, United Kingdom
& The use of hybrid materials including carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs) and lightweight
metals such as titanium are increasing particularly in aerospace applications. Multi-material stacks
require a number of holes for the assembly purposes. In this research, drilling trials have been carried
out in CFRP, Ti-6Al-4V and CFRP=Ti-6Al-4V stack workpieces using AlTiN coated tungsten carbide
drill bit. The effects of process parameters have been investigated. The thrust force, torque, burr forma-
tion, delamination, surface roughness and tool wear have been analyzed at various processing con-
dition. The experimental results have shown that the thrust force, torque, burr formation and the
average surface roughness increase with the increased feed rate and decrease with the increased cutting
speed in drilling of Ti-6Al-4V. In drilling CFRP, delamination and the average surface roughness has
similar tendency with the cutting parameters however thrust force and torque rises with the increased
cutting speed. The results showed that after making 15 holes in CFRP=Ti-6Al-4V stack, measured
thrust forces were increased by 20% in CFRP and by 45% in Ti-6Al-4V. Delamination was found
to be much smaller in drilling of CFRP in stack from compared to drilling single CFRP. Tool life
was significantly shortened in drilling of stack due to the combination of the wear mechanisms.
Keywords burr, carbon fibers, delamination, drilling, polymer matrix composites,

stack, titanium, tool wear
INTRODUCTION
Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites have been favorite
materials for structural applications in different industries due to weight
reduction provision in whole structure and therefore decrease in fuel
consumption. Titanium and its alloys offer high strength=weight ratio, high
Address correspondence to E. Ghassemieh, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering,

Queen’s University of Belfast, Ashby Building, Stranmillis Road, Belfast BT9 5AH, UK. E-mail:
E.Ghassemieh@gmail.com
Tool Life and Hole Quality in Drilling of CFRP=Titanium Stack 381
compressive and tensile strength at high temperatures, low density, excel-

lent corrosion resistance, exceptional erosion resistance, superior fatigue
resistance and low modulus of elasticity (Brewer et al., 1998; Ezugwu and
Wang, 1997). Due to these characteristics the use of titanium in aerospace
industry has increased significantly. Also CFRPs are used increasingly in
form of stack with metals such as aluminum and=or titanium to optimize
the weight=strength ratio. Assembly of these materials generally requires
high number of rivets or bolts (Brinksmeier et al., 2007).
Despite the attractive and unique properties of composite materials,
particularly carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP), machining of these
materials at desirable quality and tool life is challenging and considerably
distinct from cutting metals. Tagliaferri et al. (1990), Persson et al.
(1997), Ramkumar et al. (2004) and Xu et al. (2004) showed that the
defects induced during drilling influences service life of composites.
Different researchers König et al. (1990), Komanduri (1997), Davim et al.
(2004), Zitoune and Collombet (2009) and Zitoune et al. (2008) indicated
that most of these problems occur due to selection of non-optimized
process parameters, tool geometry and cutting tool material.
Among the defects mentioned above, delamination is one of the most
common and serious damages in drilling of composite materials. Hocheng
and Tsao (2005) and Edoardo (2004) reported that it could severely
weaken performance and service life of the machined component. It is
also reported that delamination induced problems accounts for 60% of
all rejections in final assembly in the aircraft industry by Khashaba
(2004). Piquet et al. (2000) investigated tool geometry in drilling of CFRP
and concluded that smaller contact length between drill and hole results in
less delamination. Tsao and Hocheng (2005) proposed a mathematical
model to investigate the effects of drill tip and eccentricity on delamination.
They have stated that delamination can be minimized by reducing the size
of chisel edge which, in turn, decreases the thrust force substantially.
Feed rate has been addressed as the dominant process parameter on
delamination factor by Tsao and Hocheng (2004) and Davim and Reis
(2003b). Davim and Reis (2003a) have also pointed out that cutting speed
affects delamination the most at exit of hole in drilling of CFRP.
Tool wear is another major problem in drilling of CFRP. Cutting
edges of drills are worn dramatically due to very abrasive fibers causing
more delamination, as cutting forces increase with tool wear and highly
deteriorated quality of hole due to rough and blunt cutting edges.
Machining titanium and its alloys is very challenging due to several
reasons. Low thermal conductivity of titanium causes concentrated heat
at tool-workpiece interface which tends to increase temperature of cutting
edges over 1000 C easily in dry conditions. Consequently this high cutting
temperature increases the wear rate and decreases the tool life substantially
382 O. Isbilir and E. Ghassemieh
(Boyer et al., 1994). In addition, titanium has strong affinity to many

materials at elevated temperatures resulting in chemical reaction of tool
material. This ultimately would cause the chipping, accelerated tool wear
and premature tool life (Dornfeld et al., 1999). Furthermore, titanium
maintains its hardness and strength at high temperatures. This can cause
high tool wear. Tool wear in drilling of titanium alloy is also very sensitive
to the drilling process parameters (Zhang et al., 2008). Another difficulty
in drilling of titanium alloys is producing holes without burrs. It is
estimated that 30% of machining cost is due to deburring operations in
manufacturing of titanium components (Dornfeld et al., 1999).
Drilling CFRP=metal stacks have been studied only by very few researchers
(Zitoune et al., 2010; Brinksmeier and Janssen, 2002; Ramulu et al., 2001;
Kim and Ramulu, 2004; Kim and Ramulu, 2007). During drilling of
multi-layer materials different problems may arise due to very different attri-
butes of these materials. Machining conditions of drilling such structures
plays an important role on tool wear and quality of holes. Different machining
properties are required for different optimal machining conditions of each
material (Kim and Ramulu, 2004).
Excessive heating caused by drilling of titanium induces a number of
problems in drilling CFRP such as softening of matrix and damaged surface
roughness due to hot titanium chips (Ramulu et al., 2001; Kim and Ramulu,
2004). In machining of multi-layer materials, wear of cutting tools is more
complicated compared to machining of single material. Having different
nature of wear mechanisms can accelerate the wear rate of the cutting tool
(Ramulu et al., 2001; Kim and Ramulu, 2004, 2005, 2007; Kim et al., 2005)
have stated that combination of low cutting speed-low feed is the optimum
process parameters in the drilling of Gr=Bi-Ti with carbide drills.
Although composite=metal stacks are increasingly used in airframes
nowadays, number of study regarding drilling of composite=metal stacks
is very limited. In this article, experimental study on drilling of Ti-6Al-4V,
CFRP and CFRP=Ti-6Al-4V stack has been carried out with TiAlN coated
carbide drills. In situ Force and torque measurements were performed
throughout drilling tests. Tool wear mechanisms of each drill were charac-
terized through optical microscopy technique and obtained from image
analysis. Delamination of composite workpieces were characterized by an
algorithm based on digital image analysis assisted by optical microscopy.
Burr formation was evaluated using optical microscopy and surface
profile measurements. Quality of drilled hole surfaces were characterized
by surface profile measurements. The influences of process parameters
on thrust force, torque, delamination, average surface roughness, burr
formation and tool wear were investigated on drilling of CFRP and Ti-6Al-
4V separately. The relations between drilling force and tool wear versus
number of holes drilled are established and discussed. Results of drilling
of CFRP=Ti-6Al-4V are studied at the same process parameters used in

drilling of CFRP and Ti alone. The results of drilling of stack are compared
to drilling of workpiece materials alone.
EXPERIMENTATION
Materials: Workpiece and Tool Details
Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) composite of 20 mm thickness
(80 layers) and Ti6Al4V of 20 mm thickness were used in the drilling
studies. The CFRP composite had been made using unidirectional prepregs
(Hexcel HEXPLY UD T700 268 M21 34% T700-M21) was supplied by
Airbus (Broughton, UK). The stacking sequence of the CFRP was
[90=-45=0=45=]5s so as to get a quasi-isotropic laminate. The nominal fiber

volume fraction and the thickness of the prepregs are 59% and 0.26 mm,
respectively. The mechanical, physical and thermal properties of workpiece
materials are given in Table 1.
Drilling tests have been performed using an 8-mm-diameter Sandvik
CoroDrill Delta-C R846 solid carbide drills, which are 3 mm multilayer TiAlN
PVD-coated tungsten carbide drills (purchased from Sandvik, UK). The
drill is a twist drill with 140̊ point angle and 45̊ helix angle geometry parti-
cularly designed for applications of producing holes in aerospace materials.
EXPERIMENTAL METHODS
Drilling Tests
Drilling trials were conducted using Mori Seiki SV-500 milling machine
with maximum 10,000 rpm. The experimental setup for drilling tests is
shown in Figure 1. All tests were carried out involving high pressure cooling
TABLE 1 Material Properties of Workpieces

Workpiece materials
M21 T700GC (Hexcel, 2009), (Irisarri et al., 2009) Ti-6Al-4V (Boyer, 1994)
Material properties
d (kg=m3) 1580 d (kg=m3) 4430
Elong (GPa) 112 E (Gpa) 105–116
Etrans (GPa) 8.2 t 0.26–0.36
t12 0.3 G (Gpa) 41–45
G12 (GPa) 4.5 ru (Mpa) 900–993
rt1 (Mpa) 1900 ry (Mpa) 830–924
rc1 (Mpa) 1000 Cp (J=kg K) 580 (at 20 C)
rt2 (Mpa) 84 K (W=m K) 6.6 (at 20 C)
rc2 (Mpa) 250
FIGURE 1 The experimental setup for drilling tests. (Figure available in color online.)
through tool coolant holes. Then, 5% emulsion of Hocut 795B cutting fluid
(supplied by Houghton, UK) was applied in wet cutting experiments at a
constant 38 bar coolant pressure (equal flow rate of 2.4 L=min). Experi-
ments were repeated 5 times and the results reported are all mean values.
The diameter is chosen 8 mm as it is one of the most common required
hole sizes in aircraft industry. Because the mechanical and physical proper-
ties of CFRP and Ti-6Al-4V are quite distinct different cutting parameters
are selected for drilling in different materials. Table 2 shows the process
parameters used in the experiments for each material.
The thrust force and torque during machining were measured using a
dynamometer (Kistler 9255BB; Kistler Instrument Corporation, USA). The
dynamometer was charged and the signals were collected by a data acquisition
system which includes a multi channel charge amplifier (Model 5017) and
Kistler Dynoware software (Kistler Instrument Corporation, USA). The charge
amplifier converts the induced signals, which are proportional to the applied
TABLE 2 Cutting Parameters

Material Spindle speed (rpm) Feed rate (mm=min)
M21 3000, 4500, 6000, 9000 355, 457, 585, 684

Ti-6Al-4V 1000, 1400, 1800 95, 119, 142, 171
M21=Ti-6Al-4V 4500 (CFRP) 457 (CFRP)
1400 (Ti-6Al-4V) 119 (Ti-6Al-4V)
force, to voltage and these voltage signals are gathered through the data acqui-
sition system. The resulting signals were converted to the force by the cali-
brated data in the software. Measurements were obtained with a frequency
of 1000 throughout drilling of holes.
Due to high cutting forces, drill can be broken very easily in drilling of
Ti-6Al-4V workpiece. Therefore small drilling cycles (2 mm depth per
cycle), which is called peck drilling, has been used in drilling titanium.
Delamination Measurement
Different techniques can be used to analyze delamination after drilling
composites, such as optical microscopy, CT-scan, and digital photography.
In this study, digital image analysis is used to assess the extent of delami-
nation at entry and exit of the hole in the CFRP workpiece. An algorithm
was developed in Matlab and details of it are explained in the author’s
previous study (Isbilir and Ghassemieh, 2011).
Figure 2 shows typical delamination damage of a hole after drilling
composite material. The delamination factor is widely used to characterize
the level of delamination damage on composite materials. The delami-
nation factor is frequently calculated as the ratio of the maximum diameter
of the delamination zone to the nominal hole diameter. Delamination
factor can also be calculated from the ratio of the delaminated area to
the nominal hole area. The former factor can be called a conventional
FIGURE 2 Illustration of delamination around a hole. (Figure available in color online.)

delamination factor (FD) whereas the latter is called regional delamination

factor (FA). Both factors are given below. They are calculated through analy-
sis and reported in the results.
Dnom Anom
FD ¼ ; FA ¼
Dmax Amax
The delamination was observed under a tool microscope system including a

Sanyo high resolution color CCD camera and Metric PE data image soft-
ware (Sanyo Electric Co, Japan). The generated images were used in the
developed algorithm.
Burr Measurements
A series of measurements were performed on each hole in order to
obtain the burr formation. Each measurement was repeated 5 times. The
averages of these measurements are reported here. The burr width was
observed and measured under a tool microscope system including a Sanyo
high resolution color CCD camera and Metric PE data image software. It
was measured by reading the distance between the inner surface of the
drilled hole and outer surface of the damaged region from the normal
of the entry and exit of holes. The burr height was measured with the
use of a surface profilometer (Mitutoyo SV-602; Mitutoyo Japan). It was
measured by reading the vertical distance between the reference surface
and the damaged region around hole at entry and exit of holes.
Surface Roughness Measurements

The average surface roughness (Ra) of drilled holes was measured with
the use of surface profilometer (Mitutoyo SV-602; Mitutoyo Japan). Each
measurement replicated 5 times and the averages of them are reported in
the results. The evaluation lengths of the measurements are set to be 80%
of the depth of the holes (equal to 16 mm) for each workpiece material.
Tool Wear Analysis

In the current work, drilling trials were performed in CFRP, Ti-6Al-4V,
and CFRP=Ti-6Al-4V workpiece. Drilling was performed first in CFRP work-
piece and moved through Ti-6Al-4V at the bottom of the stack. As it is used
in industry, the tool life criterion was set to reach any of the following
criteria for 8 mm drill: average flank wear (VB) of 0.25 mm, average crater
wear (KB) of 0.25 mm or tool fracture. Each measurement was repeated
5 times for which average values are reported. The wear formation of the
cutting edges was observed and measured under a tool microscope system
including a Sanyo high resolution color CCD camera and Metric PE data
image software (Sanyo Electric Co, Japan).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Analysis of Thrust Force
Details of the drilling parameters such as feed rate and spindle speed
used in the drilling tests are given in Table 2. Samples of thrust force
measured are reported in Figure 3. Figure 3(a) shows the development of
thrust force in drilling of UD-CFRP at 457 mm=min feed rate and 4500 rpm
spindle speed (113 m=min cutting speed). Drilling of a through hole consists
of three stages. In the first phase, the drill penetrates into the workpiece.
In the second phase, in which the whole cutting edges are in contact with
the workpiece, a steady state torque and thrust force are attained.
Finally, in the third phase, the drill point exits or breaks through other
side of the workpiece. These three stages can be clearly observed in drilling
FIGURE 3 Thrust force through hole. (a) Drilling of CFRP without backup plate at f ¼ 457 mm=min,
S ¼ 4500 rpm; (b) Drilling of Ti-6Al-4V alone at f ¼ 119 mm=min S ¼ 1400 rpm; and, (c) Drilling of
CFRP=Ti-6Al-4V Stack at f ¼ 457 mm=min, S ¼ 4500 rpm for CFRP and f ¼ 119 mm=min, S ¼ 1400 rpm
for Ti-6Al-4V. (Figure available in color online.)
of CFRP in Figure 3(a). Figure 3 (b) presents induced thrust force through-
out drilling of Ti-6Al-4V at 119 mm=min and 1400 rpm spindle speed
(35.13 m=min cutting speed). The plot of thrust force in titanium is
different compared to the CFRP results shown in Figure 3(a). This is due
to pecking stage used in drilling titanium as explained in the experimental
methodology section. Figure 3(c) displays thrust force in drilling of CFRP=
Ti-6Al-4V stack at 457 mm=min and 119 mm=min feed rates; 4500 rpm and
1400 rpm spindle speeds in CFRP and Ti-6Al-4V, respectively. As can be
observed in Figure 3(c), thrust force drops as drill reaches the exit of the
composite workpiece and then rises significantly, while it enters the
titanium workpiece. This sudden change, which is about by a factor of four
times, may affect the quality of drilling process and performance of drill as
it has been also addressed by Zitoune et al. (2010).

Figure 4 shows the effects of cutting parameters on thrust force.
Figure 4(a) shows the average thrust force induced in drilling of CFRP at
different machining parameters without the backup plate. It could be
observed in Figure 4(a) that drilling induced thrust force is between 193
and 296 N. It could also be seen that thrust force increases with increasing
feed rate. In addition to that it can also be noted that thrust force increases
with increased cutting speed. The results show that 93% higher feed rate
results between 16.1% and 28% higher thrust force whereas 200% greater
cutting speed causes an increase between 12.5% and 36.2% in thrust force.
Figure 4(b) displays average thrust forces at different cutting parameters in
drilling of Ti-6Al-4V workpiece alone. According to the results plotted in
Figure 4(b), thrust force is induced between 620 and 940 N in the test region.
The results clearly indicate that thrust force increases with feed rate as
observed in drilling of CFRP. Then, an 80% higher feed rate leads to an
increase in thrust force between 19.3% and 35.3% depending on cutting
speed. In contrast to drilling CFRP without a backup plate, thrust force
FIGURE 4 Effects of cutting parameters on thrust force: (a) Drilling of CFRP without backup plate;
(b) Drilling of Ti-6Al-4V alone. (Figure available in color online.)
decreases with increased cutting speed in drilling of Ti-6Al-4V alone. 80%

increased cutting speed leads to decrease in thrust force between 16.7%
and 21.3%.
The results point out that feed rate is the predominant factor on thrust
force in the tested region. Similar trends between process parameters and
thrust force have been reported for fiber composites by Singh et al. (2008)
and for titanium alloys by Rahim and Sharif (2006) and Li et al. (2007).
Although the test region and materials are different in the studies, thrust
force is found to be more sensitive to feed rate in drilling CFRP. Zitoune
et al. (2010) has reported the decrease of thrust force with increasing cut-
ting speed due to softening of the epoxy matrix. However in our current
study, high amount of coolant is used, which prevents form temperature
rise. Therefore no thermal softening is expected to occur in the epoxy

matrix in CFRP. Therefore, higher thrust force is observed while drilling
at higher spindle speeds. The temperatures measured on the drill right
after the drilling tests were in the range of 30–35 C.
It is important and worthwhile to determine the number of holes
that can be drilled in structures in order to maintain quality and provide
economic solution in manufacturing. Progression of the thrust force by
number of drilled holes can be observed during drilling in addition to
the development of the wear regions. Figure 5 shows thrust force versus
number of holes drilled in drilling of CFRP at 457 mm=min feed rate
and 4500 rpm spindle speed (113 m=min cutting speed), in drilling of
Ti-6Al-4V at 119 mm=min and 1400 rpm spindle speed (35.13 m=min
cutting speed) and in drilling of CFRP=Ti-6Al-4V stack form with the same
cutting parameters for each materials. During drilling of CFRP alone,
thrust forces increases steadily.
FIGURE 5 Effect of number of holes on thrust force in drilling of CFRP and Ti-Al-4V separately
and in stack. (Figure available in color online.)
After drilling 15 holes in CFRP, thrust force raises 47.2% from 235 N to
346 N. The drill is worn after 56 holes and thrust force reaches to 605 N,
which is equal to 159% increase, thus it is ideal to use the drill in this range.
Beyond this point, thrust force could increase substantially due to the loss
of sharpness of cutting edges of the drill and could be difficult to maintain
the quality of the hole. It is also possible that material removal mechanism
could change and material defects might increase significantly. As can be
found in Figure 5, in drilling titanium thrust force increases only 7.5% from
750 N to 806 N after drilling 15 holes. The drill is worn after 36 holes and
thrust force rises to 867 N. Thrust force may increase more substantially
beyond this point, since 0.25 mm wear has already occurred. The results
of thrust force in drilling of CFRP=Ti-6Al-4V are also reported in Figure 5
for each material in stack. It was observed that thrust force rose by 37.8%
and 56.6% in Ti-6Al-4V and CFRP workpieces, respectively.
The reason for these differences in thrust force between drilling of
each material separately and in stack form would be the combination of
two wear mechanisms during drilling in stack form. CFRP is very abrasive
material, therefore, abrasive wear is expected, whereas titanium alloy is
an elastoplastic material with the requirement of very high cutting force
which would result in brittle fracture in the drill. It is believed that the
existence of these two different wear mechanisms whist drilling in stack
could accelerate the tool wear.
Analysis of Torque
Figure 6(a) shows the progression of induced torque in drilling of
UD-CFRP at 457 mm=min feed rate and 4500 rpm spindle speed (113 m=min
cutting speed). Stages of drilling can be noticed similar to thrust force.
Figure 6(b) presents induced torque throughout drilling of Ti-6Al-4V
at 119 mm=min and 1400 rpm spindle speed (35.13 m=min cutting speed).
The plot of torque is discontinues as explained here due to pecking cycle.
Figure 6(c) displays torque in drilling of CFRP=Ti-6Al-4V stack at 457 mm=
min and 119 mm=min feed rates; 4500 rpm and 1400 rpm spindle speeds in
CFRP and Ti-6Al-4V, respectively. As can be noticed in Figure 6(c), torque jumps
significantly when drill enters titanium workpiece as observed in thrust force.
Figure 7 reports the effects of cutting parameters on torque obtained
from drilling experiments. Figure 7(a) displays the average torque values
in drilling of CFRP at different machining conditions. As it is plotted in
Figure 7(a), torque alters between 0.23 and 0.37 Nm in drilling of CFRP.
It could be observed that torque increases with feed rate and cutting speed
as previously similar to what was observed in thrust force. The plots indicate
that torque rises by up to 40% due to increased feed rate by 93%, although
200% greater cutting speed results in increase of torque by more than 30%.
FIGURE 6 Torque through hole: (a) Drilling of CFRP without backup plate at f ¼ 457 mm=min,
S ¼ 4500 rpm. (b) Drilling of Ti-6Al-4V alone at f ¼ 119 mm=min, S ¼ 1400 rpm; (c) Drilling of CFRP=
Ti-6Al-4V Stack at f ¼ 457 mm=min, S ¼ 4500 rpm for CFRP and f ¼ 119 mm=min, S ¼ 1400 rpm for Ti-6Al-
4V. (Figure available in color online.)
Figure 7(b) demonstrates influences of machining parameters on

average torque values in drilling of Ti-6Al-4V. Figure 7(b) clearly shows that
torque varies between 0.7 and 1.3 Nm in the drilling of Ti alloy depending
on the cutting parameters. Similar to drilling of CFRP, higher feed rate
FIGURE 7 Effects of cutting parameters on torque; (a) Drilling of CFRP without backup plate;
(b) Drilling of Ti-6Al-4V alone. (Figure available in color online.)
causes a growth in the extent of torque in drilling of Ti-6Al-4V. Experi-

mental results indicate that 80% higher feed rate leads to a rise in torque
between 30% and 42.9%, depending on cutting speed. On the other hand,
torque declines with increased cutting speed in drilling of Ti alloy. Then,
80% higher cutting speed leads to a decrease of about 20.8% to 30% in
the torque. The results prove that feed rate is the predominant factor on
torque in the tested region. The experimental results are in agreement with
the literature.
Despite the fact that different process parameters and materials are
reported in the literature, similar relations have been also observed
between process parameters and torque by Mohan et al. (2005). Feed rate
is the predominant parameters on torque in drilling of CFRP. Increasing
feed rate leads to rise in torque, whereas cutting speed does not influence
torque as significant as feed rate. Similar observations have been made
in drilling titanium using different tool materials such as HSS, WC-Co at
different parameters by Ramulu et al. (2001).
Figure 8 shows how the torque values changes with the number of holes
in drilling of CFRP at 457 mm=min feed rate and 4500 rpm spindle speed
(113 m=min cutting speed), in drilling of Ti-6Al-4V at 119 mm=min and
1400 rpm spindle speed (35.13 m=min cutting speed) and in drilling of
CFRP=Ti-6Al-4V. During the drilling of CFRP alone, torque increases
steadily. After drilling 15 holes in CFRP, torque rises from 0.29 Nm. to
0.426 Nm, a 47% rise. After reaching tool life by drilling 56 holes in CFRP,
torque increases to 0.767 Nm by 164% increase. In drilling Ti-6Al-4V, the
torque increases only by 7% from 1 Nm to 1.07 Nm after 15 holes.
The drill is worn after 32 holes and torque rises to 1.09 Nm indicating a
9% growth. Torque could increase more suddenly after this point, since
FIGURE 8 Effect of number of holes on torque in drilling of CFRP and Ti-Al-4V separately and in stack.
(Figure available in color online.)
0.25 mm wear has already been reached. It was observed that torque rose by
44.5% and 83.5% in Ti-6Al-4V and CFRP workpieces in drilling of stacked
materials, respectively. These indicate much higher wear rates when
drilling stack material compared to single CFRP or titanium. It is believed
that the combination of two different wear mechanisms would accelerate
tool wear. This is proved by our wear inspection discussed later.
Analysis of Delamination
It is important to determine the extent of the delamination in the work-
piece in order to maintain the structural integrity of the machined part.
This enables to provide a limit number that can be drilled in structures
before replacing the tool. Figure 9 and Figure 10 present the features of
the delamination patterns observed at the entry and exit side of the drilled
FIGURE 9 Delamination at hole entry (S ¼ 4500 rpm, f ¼ 457 mm=min): (a) Drilling of CFRP without
backup plate-1st Hole; (b) Drilling of CFRP without backup plate -56th Hole; (c) Drilling of CFRP=
Ti-6Al-4V stack-1st Hole; (d) Drilling of CFRP=Ti-6Al-4V stack-15th Hole.
FIGURE 10 Delamination at hole exit (S ¼ 4500 rpm, f ¼ 457 mm=min): (a) Drilling of CFRP without
backup plate -1st Hole; (b) Drilling of CFRP without backup plate -56th Hole; (c) Drilling of CFRP=
Ti-6Al-4V Stack-1st Hole; (d) Drilling of CFRP=Ti-6Al-4V Stack-15th Hole.
CFRP laminates, respectively. The images are used to measure the extent of
the delamination using the developed algorithm based on digital image
processing explained in the methodology section. Typical brittle damage
due to abrasive fibers in the structure is observed in these figures.
Figures 9(a) and (b) show the state of the entry of hole after drilling of
CFRP without a backup plate. As shown in Figure 9(a) fiber pull-outs and
delamination were observed at the entry of even the first hole drilled in
CFRP. As can be seen in Figure 9(b) after drilling 56 holes and reaching
the tool life criteria (VB ¼ 0.25 mm), significant delaminated area was
observed.
Figures 9(c) and Figure 9(d) display the condition of the entry of hole
in CFRP after drilling CFRP=Ti-6Al-4V stack. As shown in Figure 9(d), even
after drilling 15 holes, no noticeable delamination was found at entry in
CFRP workpiece in drilling of stack. This is because of the use of titanium
alloy underneath of the CFRP. It indicates that having an extra metal layer
underneath the composite workpiece could increase the capability of

cutting with less damage.
Figures 10(a) and (b) show the state of the exit of the hole after drilling
CFRP without a backup plate. Figure 10(a) indicates noticeable fiber pull-outs
induced even in the first drilled hole in the CFRP alone. After 56 holes,
significant delamination and fiber buckling were observed in drilling of
CFRP as shown in Figure 10(b). In the test region, the last plies of the CFRP
could not withstand the thrust force. This resulted in very poor exit surface.
Figure 10(c) and Figure 10(d) display the exit of the hole in CFRP after
drilling CFRP=Ti-6Al-4V stack. As it can be noticed in Figure 10(c) there is
no sign of fiber pull-outs. Moreover, delamination was reduced substantially
at the exit compared to drilling of CFRP workpiece without backup plate as
shown in Figure 10(a). After 15 holes, delamination increased at the exit

due to the increase in tool wear as displayed in Figure 10(d). However,
no fiber pull-outs=broken fibers were observed after 15 holes in CFRP in
drilling of stack. This is mainly because of the use of titanium alloy at the
bottom of CFRP workpiece.
As explained in the methodology section, delamination factor can be
calculated by two methods: conventional delamination factor (FD) and
regional delamination factor (FA). Figure 11 shows both delamination fac-
tors at the entry of holes obtained from analysis of the visual inspection
after the drilling experiments at different cutting conditions. It can be seen
that the regional delamination factor provides a generally smaller delami-
nation factor compared to the conventional delamination factor. This is
because the conventional delamination factor is very much dependent
on the maximum damaged diameter, whereas the regional delamination
factor takes into account the damaged area.
FIGURE 11 Effects of cutting parameters on delamination factors (Hole entry in drilling of CFRP
without backup plate at S ¼ 4500 rpm, f ¼ 457 mm=min). (Figure available in color online.)
Thus conventional delamination factor can be localized due to the orien-

tation of the fibers. The results show that delamination increases with feed
rate and decreases with cutting speed in the test region. An increase of feed
rate by 93% causes an increase of delamination between 4% and 9.5%
depending on process parameters. In contrast to feed rate, delamination
decreases between 8.5% and 13.1% as cutting speed is increased by 200%.
The effect of feed rate on delamination agrees with Davim et al. (2004).
Because the integrity of structures is vital in the aerospace industry, tool
life is not the only criteria to determine a feasible manufacturing operation.
Depending on the required accuracy and quality of drilled hole, a limit
number could be set for the replacement of the tool. Figure 12 reports
the influence of the number of drilled holes on delamination factors.
Figure 12(a) shows delamination factors at hole entry versus number of

hole drilled in CFRP without a backup plate. These tests are performed
at constant 457 mm=min feed rate and 4500 rpm spindle speed. As it can
be observed from Figure 12(a) both delamination factors remain almost
the same after 15 holes. However, both factors rise by 10% after drilling
56 holes in CFRP. It should also be noted that the regional delamination
factor presents lower values compared to a conventional delamination
factor as explained here. The difference between them remains generally
the same as the number of drilled holes increases.
Figure 12(b) shows delamination factors at the exit of the holes drilled in
CFRP in drilling of CFRP=Ti-6Al-4V stack. As can be observed in Figure 12(b),
delamination factors increases with the number of holes. This could be
due to tool wear and increased thrust force. Wear would reduce the
capability of cutting edges, which may result in poorer hole quality. As
expected, the regional delamination factor is also lower than the conven-
tional delamination factor. The differences between these two parameters
do not alter significantly as more holes are drilled.
FIGURE 12 Effect of number of holes on delamination factors (S ¼ 4500 rpm, f ¼ 457 mm=min:
(a) Delamination at hole entry in drilling CFRP without backup plate; (b) Delamination at hole exit
in drilling of CFRP=Ti-6Al-4V stack.
Analysis of Burr
In terms of hole edge quality, burr is an important damage to control in
drilling of metals. Most of machining process of titanium and its alloys will
create burr on both entry and exit sides. In most cases the exit burr is much
larger in size compared to the entry burr. It is estimated that up to 30% of
the cost of some components is due to deburring operations (Dornfeld
et al., 1999). Throughout the tests, limited amount of damage in the form
of burr formation was observed. All burrs in exit and entry were uniform
without caps. The burr height extended only several tens of micrometers,
whereas the burr widths were measured to be about several micrometers.
The application of jet cooling is one of the reasons of such low burr forma-
tion. There was no other evidence for any other damage around the hole.
Figure 13 shows the effects of process parameters on burr formation at

entry and exit of holes in drilling of Ti-6Al-4V alone. Burr heights at the
entry and the exit of holes are shown in Figures 13(a) and 13(b), respect-
ively. As can be found in these figures, burr height is larger at the exit
side for each set of process parameters. This is due to lower stiffness at exit
FIGURE 13 Effects of cutting parameters on burr formation in drilling of Ti-6Al-4V alone: (a) Burr
height at hole entry; (b) Burr height at hole exit; (c) Burr width at hole entry; (d) Burr width at hole
exit. (Figure available in color online.)
compared to the entry of the workpiece under bending. It can also be

found that in general burr height increases with feed rate and decreases
with spindle speed. As feed rate increases thrust force increases and higher
thrust force causes greater localized deformation.
As shown in Figure 13(a), both feed rate and spindle speed influence
burr height at the entry of hole. However as shown in Figure 13(b),
spindle speed affects burr height more than feed rate at exit side of Ti hole.
The reduction in burr height with the increasing cutting speed could
be the result of reduction in thrust force with increasing of cutting speed.
The effects of cutting parameters on burr width at entry and exit of holes
are presented in Figure 13(c) and Figure 13(d), respectively. As can be
observed from Figure 13(c) and Figure 13(d), burr width at exit side is
larger than entry side for each process parameter. As plotted in

Figure 13(c), feed rate is found to be the predominant parameter on burr
width at hole entry. However, as seen in Figure 13(d), both process
parameters influence burr width at exit side in the range tested.
Figure 14 reports the effect of the tool wear on burr formation versus
the number of holes drilled in Ti-6Al-4V. Figure 14(a) shows induced burr
height versus drilled hole number at entry and exit sides after drilling of
FIGURE 14 Effect of number of holes on burr formation in drilling of Ti6Al4V at S ¼ 1400 rpm,
f ¼ 119 mm=min: (a) Burr height in Ti6Al4V alone; (b) Burr width in Ti6Al4V; (c) Burr height in
Ti6Al4V (stack); (d) Burr width in Ti6Al4V (stack).
Ti-6Al-4V at 119 mm=min feed rate and 1400 rpm spindle speed. Burr
height increases with the number of drilled holes. This is mainly due to
the increased wear and consequently higher thrust force in drilling of
the workpiece. In terms of the hole quality in Ti workpiece, there is a
significant rise in the extent of burr height with the number of holes drilled
in both surfaces.
After drilling 32 holes at constant parameters, burr height increased by
22.5% and 39.95% at exit and entry, respectively. Figure 14(b) shows the
influence of number of holes drilled on burr width at entry and exit sides.
The drilling tests are performed at 119 mm=min feed rate and 1400 rpm
spindle speed. As can be noticed in Figure 14(b), burr width increases with
the number of drilled holes. The main reason is the increased tool wear
and consequently higher cutting forces. Burr width rises by 22% and
35.6% at exit and entry after drilling 32 holes, respectively.
Figures 14(c) and 14(d) show the entrance and exit burr width and
height in titanium workpiece drilled in stack form. The results of burr
measurements for the titanium in stack form indicate that the trends are
very similar to observations made for titanium workpiece drilled on its
own. However, the width and height of the burr formed at exit of the holes
are much larger for the titanium drilled in the stack form compared to
measured burrs at exit for the titanium on its own as the hole number is
increased. The burr width and height measured for stack form reaches
almost twice the values obtained for titanium on its own. This could be
justified by the high tool wear rate in stack drilling.
Analysis of Surface Roughness

Figure 15 shows influences of cutting parameters on surface roughness.
Figures 15(a) and 15(b) display average surface roughness (Ra) in the
drilling of CFRP and Ti-6Al-4V, respectively, at different cutting parameters.
FIGURE 15 Effects of cutting parameters on the average surface roughness: (a) Drilling of CFRP
without backup plate; (b) Drilling of Ti6Al4V alone. (Figure available in color online.)
The average surface roughness of the holes drilled in CFRP was obtained
between 1.8 and 6.3 mm for various cutting parameters. Figure 15(a) shows
that the average surface roughness increases with increased feed rate signifi-
cantly. Feed rate is found to be the dominant factor affecting the average
surface roughness. Spindle speed has an influence on the average surface
roughness however this effect is not as much as the effect of the feed rate.
The higher spindle speed leads to a decrease in the average surface rough-
ness. The trend of the surface roughness also agrees with the literature such
as Zitoune et al. (2010), El-Sonbaty et al. (2004), and Ogawa et al. (1997).
As shown in Figure 15(b), the average surface roughness of the drilled
holes were found in the range of 1.1 and 3.1 mm in Ti-6Al-4V. As it is
expected, this is much lower than the values measured in CFRP workpiece.
Similar to the results of CFRP workpiece, feed rate is found the dominant
factor affecting the average surface roughness in drilling of Ti-6Al-4V.
Spindle speed has a minor influence on the average surface roughness.
In addition, it can also be found in Figure 15(b) that the greater spindle
speed, the lower the average surface roughness. Ramulu et al. (2001) also
confirmed that surface roughness increases with the increased feed rate
and decreases with the increased spindle speed.
Figure 16 shows the effects of the number of holes drilled on average
surface roughness (Ra) in drilling of CFRP, Ti-6Al-4V and CFRP=Ti-6Al-4V
stack. Figure 16 displays the average surface roughness versus hole numbers
drilled in CFRP workpiece alone. Drilling tests were performed at 457 mm=
min feed rate and 4500 rpm spindle speed in CFRP. The average surface
roughness increases from 3.3 mm to 3.42 mm after drilling 15 holes and
FIGURE 16 Effect of number of holes on the average surface roughness in drilling of CFRP and Ti-Al-
4V separately and in stack. (Figure available in color online.)
reaches 6.4 mm after drilling 56 holes (at the end of tool life). This is due to
the developed tool wear and consequently increased thrust force. Drilling
tests were performed at 119 mm=min feed rate and 1400 rpm spindle speed
in Ti-6Al-4V. The average surface roughness obtained was 1.6 mm in the first
hole and increased to 3.33 mm after 15 holes. The average surface roughness
measured was 6.3 mm after drilling 32 holes (at the end of tool life).
Figure 16 also demonstrates the average surface roughness of holes
in both workpieces in drilling of CFRP=Ti-6Al-4V. These tests were carried
out at 4500 rpm spindle speed and 457 mm=min feed rate for CFRP and
1400 rpm spindle speed and 119 mm=min feed rate for Ti-6Al-4V. However
using the same cutting parameters compared to drilling of workpieces separ-
ately, the average surface roughness measured were found to be considerably
higher compared to the average roughness measured in drilling these materials

separately. As shown in Figure 16 the average surface roughness alters between
4 mm and 11.3 mm for the holes drilled in Ti-6Al-4V. The average surface
roughness measured would be between 3.2 mm and 7.3 mm for the holes
in CFRP. It is believed that the combination of the wear mechanisms resulted
in poorer surface finish in drilling stacks compared to separate materials.
In addition, different chip generations may deteriorate machined sur-
faces. The hot and long titanium chips could soften the epoxy matrix,
whereas the very dusty brittle CFRP chip can penetrate in between the tool
and titanium contact surfaces. This could result in severe contact stresses
and increased cutting forces, which can accelerate the development of
wear. Consequently, rougher surfaces would be produced.
Analysis of Tool Wear

Severe tool wear in machining of aerospace materials is one of the main
reasons for machining cost. To maintain quality of the machined work-
pieces, it is important to replace cutting tools as they reach wear criteria,
as explained in the methodology section. Variation of thrust forces, torques
and surface roughnesses versus number of holes drilled can be typical
indication of tool wear as discussed in previous sections.
During drilling of CFRP, thrust force rises steadily from 235 N to just
over 600 N after drilling 56 holes. Beyond this number of holes, cutting
process would not be stable due to the excessive wear of the cutting edges.
The gradual loss of sharpness of cutting edges causes a decrease in the
capability of the tool to cut the material. This leads to an increase in cutting
forces and torques. The increase in tool wear would degenerate the
material removal mechanism progressively.
Figure 17 shows the tool wear after drilling 56 holes in CFRP without
backup plate. These drilling tests are carried out at process parameters of
4500 rpm and 457 mm=min. From the optical observation, it was found that
FIGURE 17 Tool wear in drilling of CFRP without backup plate (S ¼ 4500 rpm, f ¼ 457 mm=min):
(a) Overall, (b) Flank Wear, (c) Crater Wear.
edge wear was the major wear in drilling of CFRP. When abrasive fibers are
being cut; the broken fibers scratch the both flank and crater surfaces of the
drills. Also the abrasive fibers are not cut as metals. In metals the main cut-
ting mechanism is plastic deformation, so chips flow over the cutting edges.
However, there is no plastic deformation in machining of CFRP. Cutting
tool induces fracture in the brittle fibers. This generates very dusty abrasive
chips that cause three body effects in the cutting mechanism. The dusty
chips would create direct impingement of hard particles on both machined
surfaces and tool surfaces. Consequently erosion by abrasion would occur.
The flank and crater wear are shown in Figures 17(b) and Figure 17(c).
Figure 18 shows the tool wear in drilling of Ti6Al4V alone. The tests are
performed at process parameters of 1400 rpm and 119 mm=min. It is found
FIGURE 18 Tool Wear in Drilling of Ti-6Al-4V Alone (S ¼ 1400 rpm, f ¼ 119 mm=min): (a) Overall,
(b) Flank Wear, (c) Crater Wear, (d) Chisel Wear, (e) Margin Wear.
that tools exceeded their service life after drilling 32 holes in Ti alloy
workpieces. Thrust force increased gradually from 750 N to 870 N. As can
be seen from Figure 18(b), flank wear is the dominant wear mechanism
in drilling of titanium alloy alone. This is not a surprise since high cutting
forces are generated in the cutting region. The hard phases within titanium
alloy workpieces also abrade the flank surfaces of cutting tools.
Some significant wear has been also observed on the chisel edges of the
drills as shown in Figure 18(d). This can also be an indication of the high
forces induced during cutting process. As shown in Figure 18(c), higher
crater wear has been observed on the tools in drilling of Ti6Al4V. The
generated chip flows over this region causing rubbing of the surfaces.
Adhesion is well known characteristic in machining of titanium and
reported by Zhang et al. (2008).

High chemical affinity of titanium to most of tool materials leads to
material transfer on to cutting tools. Adhesion can cause build-up-edge
(BUE) formation on tool edges or diffusion into tool materials. The
accumulation of work material on cutting edges can result in devastation
of the cutting edge and consequently tool chipping or fracture on cutting
tools; deterioration of quality of the machined surfaces. Diffusion can cause
softening of cutting tool and consequently increase the wear rate. No
significant sign of adhesion was observed on cutting edges or flank
surfaces. This is due to the use of high amount of coolant at high pressure
and the high performance of coating on the tools.
Nevertheless, after making 32 holes, noticeable chipping was observed
at the end of major cutting edge near the margin of the drill. This could be
clearly observed in Figure 18(e). This indicates the end of life for the tool.
The wear problems associated with drilling of single CFRP and single
Titanium workpieces are discussed above. Drilling of two unique materials
together makes the process even more complicated. Different wear mechan-
isms take place in alternating manner, because of the dynamic nonlinearity in
drilling of CFRP=Ti-6Al-4V stacks. Figures 19 (a)–(f) show the tool wear in
drilling of CFRP=Ti-6Al-4V stack after drilling 15 holes. First of all, a shortened
tool life has been found after the tests. The total machined volume was
56300 mm3 and 32170 mm3 for drilling of CFRP and Ti, respectively. Whereas
the machined volume was reduced to 30,160 (each workpiece 15,080) mm3 in
drilling of CFRP=Ti-6Al-4V in stack form developed after drilling 15 holes.
With the use of the same cutting parameters for the drilling of materials solely
or stacked form, the machinability has considerably reduced. It is believed
that the combination of the different wear mechanisms have resulted in poor
performance of the drill in the stacked form.
As can be seen in Figure 19, more aggressive wear could be induced in
drilling of composite=metal stack. This is due to interaction of the two wear
mechanism in the dissimilar materials in the stacked structure. As shown in
FIGURE 19 Tool wear in drilling of CFRP=Ti6Al4V stack (S ¼ 1400 rpm, f ¼ 119 mm=min for Ti-6Al-4V;
S ¼ 4500 rpm, f ¼ 457 mm=min for CFRP): (a) Overall (b) Flank Wear (c) Crater Wear; (d) Chisel Wear
(e) Chipping (f) Margin Wear.
Figure 19(b), significant amount of wear has been observed in the flank
surface of the drills. This abrasion mechanism is due to the hard phases
in titanium alloy as explained above. Moreover, obvious crater wear could
also be noticed on the cutting tool in Figure 19(c). The combination of
these two wear mechanisms accelerated the progression of the wear and
shortened the tool life.
In addition to these failure mechanisms, noticeable chipping has been
found on the flank surface. The chipping occurs near the region of maximum
cutting speed on the cutting edges of the tool. This macro chipping which
is clearly shown in Figure 19(b) and Figure 19(e) indicates much more
aggressive wear. Abrasive dust particles between the surfaces of cutting tool
and workpiece would cause scratching and locally higher contact stresses.
As a result of the degenerated contact surfaces, cutting forces and the
wear rates would increase. As shown in Figure 5, Figure 8 and Figure 16,
a higher amount of thrust force, torque and the average surface roughness
were obtained in drilling of stack, respectively, compared to drilling of Ti
and CFRP separately. Similar to drilling of titanium alloy alone, significant
wear has also been observed on the chisel edge due to the high thrust force
(Figure 19(d)). There was no sign of built-up-edge on drills. Some chipping
has also been identified on the margin as shown in Figure 19(f).
In summary, in drilling of CFRP abrasive wear occurs in both flank and
crater surface of the tool due to brittle fibers. These two wear creates edge
wear, which grinds the cutting edge gradually. Because of this thrust force,
torque and the average surface roughness increase gradually. In drilling Ti,
flank wear is the dominant wear due to the abrasion of the hard phases on
Ti alloy. Also higher crater wear, wear on chisel edge and chipping are
observed in drilling of Ti. There is no sign of adhesion and BUE formation.
The combination of these dissimilar wear mechanisms is observed in
drilling of CFRP=Ti-6Al-4V stack. Although separate process parameters
used for each material in stack due to the different mechanical and physical
properties, a shortened tool life has been observed. The combination of
diverse wear mechanisms has accelerated the tool wear in drilling of CFRP=
Ti-6Al-4V stack.
It should be noted that the wear analysis in this study is limited to the
qualitative observations made using optical microscopy. Detail analysis of

wear mechanisms and quantitative information could only be obtained
using higher magnification microscopy techniques alongside the chemical
analysis of the tool bit after the drilling test. Because we have used one drill
bit to produce several holes, any intermediate exploration of the wear of
the drill bit during the process required destructive testing and cutting
of the drill bit for investigation by SEM or chemical analysis. This has
imposed limitations in the wear tests we have performed and the extent
of information obtained regarding the wear mechanisms involved. Future
study could focus on obtaining detail quantitative information about the
wear mechanisms for drilling in stack materials.
CONCLUSIONS
Drilling tests were conducted in the drilling of CFRP, Ti and CFRP=Ti
stacks using AlTiN coated WC drills. Effects of process parameters have
been studied in the drilling of CFRP and Ti separately and in stack form.
Thrust force, torque, burr formation, delamination and tool wear analysis
were performed using different techniques. The present study concludes
this work as follows:
1. In drilling CFRP, 93% higher feed rate results between 16.1–28% higher
thrust force, whereas 200% greater cutting speed causes an increase
between 12.5–36.2% in thrust force. Also the thrust forces increases
steadily so that after drilling 15 holes in CFRP, thrust force raises
47.2%. The drill is worn after 56 holes.
2. In drilling titanium, 80% higher feed rate leads to an increase in thrust
force between 19.3% and 35.3%, depending on cutting speed. In
contrast to drilling of CFRP, thrust force decreases with increased cut-
ting speed in drilling of Ti-6Al-4V alone. Then, 80% increased cutting
speed leads to decrease in thrust force between 16.7% and 21.3%. Feed
rate is the predominant factor on thrust force in the tested region. In

drilling titanium thrust force increases only 7.5% after drilling 15 holes
which is much smaller percentage compared to CFRP. The drill is worn
after 36 holes.
3. In drilling stack workpieces, the thrust force rises by 37.8% and 56.6%
in Ti-6Al-4V and CFRP workpieces, respectively after drilling 15 holes.
This is much higher than drilling in single materials reported above.
The reason would be the combination of two wear mechanisms during
drilling in stack form which could result in accelerated wear.
4. The results show that delamination increases with feed rate and
decreases with cutting speed in the test region. An increase of feed
rate by 93% causes an increase of delamination between 4% and 9.5%
depending on process parameters. In contrast to feed rate, delamination

decreases between 8.5% and 13.1% as cutting speed is increased by 200%.
5. Delamination is much smaller in drilling of CFRP=Ti-6Al-4V stack
compared to drilling of CFRP without backup plate. The entrance
delamination has almost been avoided in the test region in stack drilling.
6. In drilling titanium alone, burr width at exit side is larger than entry side
for each process parameter. Feed rate is found to be the predominant
parameter on burr width at hole entry. Burr height and width increases
with the increased number of drilled holes. Burr measurements for the
titanium in stack form indicate that the trends are very similar to that
obtained for titanium workpiece drilled on its own. However, the width
and height of the burr formed at exit of the holes are much larger for
the titanium drilled in the stack form.
7. The average surface roughness in CFRP increases from 3.3 mm to
3.42 mm after drilling 15 holes and reaches 6.4 mm after drilling 56 holes
(at the end of tool life). This is due to the developed tool wear and
consequently increased thrust force. The average surface roughness
obtained in Ti-6Al-4V is 1.6 mm in the first hole and increases to
3.33 mm after 15 holes, which is much smaller than CFRP. The average
surface roughness measured is 6.3 mm after drilling 32 holes in titanium
(at the end of tool life). In stack form, the average surface roughness
alters between 4 mm and 11.3 mm for the holes drilled in Ti-6Al-4V and
between 3.2 mm and 7.3 mm for the holes in CFRP. It is believed that
the combination of the wear mechanisms resulted in poorer surface fin-
ish in drilling stacks compared to separate materials.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors greatly acknowledge the provision of materials by Airbus
and the access to the drilling facilities of the Advanced Manufacturing
Research Centre (AMRC). This work is done as part of PhD study of Ozden
Isbilir whose scholarship was funded by the Ministry of National Education

of the Republic of Turkey and under supervision of Elaheh Ghassemieh.
NOMENCLATURE
d density
Elong Young’s modulus in the longitudinal direction
Etrans Young’s modulus in the transverse direction
t12 in-plane Poisson ratio
G12 in-plane shear modulus
rt1 ultimate strength in tension mode in the longitudinal direction
rc1 ultimate strength in compression mode in the longitudinal direction
rt2 ultimate strength in tension mode in the transverse direction
rc2 ultimate strength in compression mode in the transverse direction

E Young’s modulus for isotropic material
t Poisson’s ratio for isotropic material
G shear modulus for isotropic material
ru ultimate strength for isotropic material
ry yield strength for isotropic material
Cp specific heat
K thermal conductivity
f feed rate, mm=min
S spindle speed, rpm
FD conventional delamination factor
FA alternative delamination factor
Dnom nominal hole diameter, mm
Dmax maximum damaged diameter, mm
Anom nominal hole area, mm2
Amax total of hole and damaged area, mm2
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3a Comparative Study of Tool Life and

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On: 25 December 2014, At: 11:02

Machining Science and Technology: An

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TOOL LIFE AND

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10910344.2013.806098

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COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TOOL LIFE AND HOLE QUALITY

Ozden Isbilir1 and Elaheh Ghassemieh2

Keywords burr, carbon fibers, delamination, drilling, polymer matrix composites,

Address correspondence to E. Ghassemieh, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering,

compressive and tensile strength at high temperatures, low density, excel-

(Boyer et al., 1994). In addition, titanium has strong affinity to many

of CFRP=Ti-6Al-4V are studied at the same process parameters used in

[90=-45=0=45=]5s so as to get a quasi-isotropic laminate. The nominal fiber

TABLE 1 Material Properties of Workpieces

TABLE 2 Cutting Parameters

M21 3000, 4500, 6000, 9000 355, 457, 585, 684

FIGURE 2 Illustration of delamination around a hole. (Figure available in color online.)

delamination factor (FD) whereas the latter is called regional delamination

The delamination was observed under a tool microscope system including a

Surface Roughness Measurements

Tool Wear Analysis

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

it has been also addressed by Zitoune et al. (2010).

decreases with increased cutting speed in drilling of Ti-6Al-4V alone. 80%

rise. Therefore no thermal softening is expected to occur in the epoxy

Figure 7(b) demonstrates influences of machining parameters on

causes a growth in the extent of torque in drilling of Ti-6Al-4V. Experi-

underneath the composite workpiece could increase the capability of

shown in Figure 10(a). After 15 holes, delamination increased at the exit

Thus conventional delamination factor can be localized due to the orien-

Figure 12(a) shows delamination factors at hole entry versus number of

Figure 13 shows the effects of process parameters on burr formation at

compared to the entry of the workpiece under bending. It can also be

larger than entry side for each process parameter. As plotted in

Analysis of Surface Roughness

higher compared to the average roughness measured in drilling these materials

Analysis of Tool Wear

reported by Zhang et al. (2008).

qualitative observations made using optical microscopy. Detail analysis of

rate is the predominant factor on thrust force in the tested region. In

depending on process parameters. In contrast to feed rate, delamination

Isbilir whose scholarship was funded by the Ministry of National Education

rc2 ultimate strength in compression mode in the transverse direction

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