Comparison of tool effects on hybrid laminates after drilling

Abstract

For the past decades fibre reinforced plastics are increasing their importance as one of the most interesting group of material because of their low weight, high strength and stiffness. Good hole drilling processes are essential. To obtain good quality holes it is important to identify the type of material, ply stacking sequence and fibre orientation. In this paper drilling of quasi-isotropic hybrid carbon+glass/epoxy plates is studied. Two commercial and an alternative step drill are compared in terms of thrust force, surface roughness and delamination. Results suggest that the proposed step drill can be a good option for laminate drilling.