Multi objective optimization of CFRP Composite Drilling Using Ant Colony Algorithm

Abstract Carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRP) found many applications due to its adequate tensile strength, good specific modulus and unique physical properties. Drilling was the frequently used machining process for CFRP composites. The CFRP drilling process poses several hurdles owing to their layered structure. The performance of drilling was studied through the measurement of thrust force, surface roughness and delamination factor. The performance characteristics were more sensitive to the parameters namely cutting speed, depth of cut, feed and point angle. However the effective drilling was achieved with the optimisation of the process parameters. Hence the present work is aimed to optimize the CFRP drilling process using Ant Colony Algorithm (ACO) as a tool.