A comprehensive analysis of cutting forces during routing of multilayer carbon fiber-reinforced polymer laminates

Analyzing cutting forces during detouring of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer laminates at high cutting speeds is problematic as the recorded signal can be distorted due to resonance of the measuring system. In addition, excessive tool wear can render signal interpretation difficult. In the present study, a fully controlled experimental protocol is used to investigate the instantaneous cutting forces when milling carbon fiber-reinforced polymer laminates in a bid to avoid signal distortion and limit the tool wear effect. A polycrystalline diamond tool was selected for the experiments in order to limit the effect of tool wear on the recorded signals. The fiber orientation influences principally the cutting force amplitude, which varies nonlinearly with the feed. Based on this experimental data, a high-order mechanistic force model in terms of feed per tooth was proposed to predict the cutting forces. The tooth-to-tooth run-out was measured and included in the model, and the model was validated for different feeds, speeds, and number of plies. A good consistency between simulated and measured forces was observed. For the proposed model, the estimation error was approximately ±12.5%.