Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Machining: A Comprehensive Scientific Exegesis

Introduction

Machining is a production method wherein a cutting tool is utilized to eliminate surplus material to obtain the specified shape and dimensions of a mechanical part (Jawahir & Balaji, 2018). Turning is a highly prevalent machining process extensively applied in the industrial sector (Sousa & Silva, 2020) (Fernando et al., 2022). To produce a wide variety of mechanical components that meet diverse needs in the manufacturing field. Frequently, surfaces that function under mechanical contact conditions for various tribological applications are obtained using this process (G. Petropoulos & Pandazaras, 2003). Currently, the turning process is no longer limited to metallic materials and is also used to work with organic materials (Chaubey & Gupta, 2022) (Breidenstein et al., 2022). The interest in machining techniques for organic materials has significantly increased. The majority of research in this field focuses primarily on characterizing the turning process to control its application on an industrial manufacturing scale (Rance et al., 2019) (Singh et al., 2021). The objective is to obtain mechanical components with precisely controlled dimensional characteristics at the lowest possible cost. Among the organic materials processed by turning, we find Carbon and Glass Fiber Reinforced (CFRPs/GFRPs). The special conditions of using these composites require particular precautions during their manufacturing process. It should be noted that turning composite materials, consisting of a polymeric matrix containing reinforcements, is very different from turning metals and alloys (Bhatnagar et al., 1995) (Caggiano, 2018a) (Henry Ononiwu et al., 2021).

The theoretical and experimental knowledge acquired in the field of metals does not directly apply to these types of composite materials because they are generally heterogeneous and anisotropic. This is due, for example, to the fact that they are prepared in stratified form or extruded before considering machining (Somireddy & Czekanski, 2020). Composite materials consist of two phases with very dissimilar thermal and mechanical properties. Complex interactions occur between the reinforcement and the matrix during the turning manufacturing process, which significantly affects the machining characteristics of these materials compared to those composed of a single phase, such as metals (Voss & Friedrich, 1987) (Cabrera et al., 2010) (Rahman, Ramakrishna, Prakash, et al., 1999) (Rahman, Ramakrishna, & Thoo, 1999) (Sabet et al., 2018) (Mohamed et al., 2019).

The intricate interplay of composite material machinability inherently hinges upon the nuanced interplay of constituent properties. The disposition of fibers and their prescribed orientation, the proportional volumetric contribution of reinforcement, and the distinctive attributes intrinsic to the matrix material collectively conspire to orchestrate this behavior. In the crucible of the machining endeavor, the cutting implement navigates the complex terrain encompassing both fibers and matrix constituents, each distinct in their receptive retort to the imposed machining stimuli.

The concomitant genesis of chip formation emerges as a convoluted tapestry interwoven with shear forces, fractural dynamics, or the harmonious interlacing of these modalities, contingent upon the intricate contours of the tool geometry and the prevailing orientation of the fibers. Of marked significance, the presence of fibers, intrinsically endowed with abrasive proclivities, bears the potential to prematurely exacerbate tool attrition, therein underscoring the imperativeness of pivotally pivoting toward the deployment of polycrystalline diamond (PCD) tools (Uhlmann et al., 2016) (Xu & El Mansori, 2017).