Experimental investigation on tool wear and surface integrityduring wet and dry milling of carbon fiber reinforced polymer(CFRP)

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) has been used as an alternative to conventional materials, especially in the aerospace and automotive industries due to its being light weight and having a high strength-to-weight ratio which can produce high performance part made. However, because of its abrasiveness, machining CFRP can be difficult and challenging. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the influence of cutting speeds on tool wear and the surface roughness of the CFRP upon milling in dry and wet cutting conditions. This edge trimming of CFRP was performed with cutting speeds of 50, 75, 100 m/min, at a constant feed rate and depth of cut of 475 mm/min and 1 mm, respectively. The highest average tool wear of 0.051 mm was obtained at V=100 m/min in a dry cutting condition. While the surface roughness of CFRP was observed higher (2.868 µm) at V=50 m/min in dry cutting condition. Therefore, it is recommended to perform the milling operation at a lower cutting speed in dry cutting condition and at a higher cutting speed in wet cutting conditions for a better surface roughness value as well as to reduce the damage to the surface of the CFRP.