MACHINABILITY STUDY OF CARBON/PEEK COMPOSITES

Abstract Composites are generally fabricated to near nett-shape, however, there is often a need to conduct some additional machining operations such as trimming of the edges. High tool wear and the need for good surface finish are some of the major concerns in machining. This study deals with the machining of Carbon/PEEK, a high performance thermoplastic matrix composite, which is being used extensively in aerospace industries because it is light and posses high specific properties compared to conventional metallic materials. The technique of the full factorial design of experiment is used to investigate the relative effects of the various machining parameters on the amount of tool wear and the surface quality of the workpiece. Experimental results show that the cutting speed, depth of cut and feed-rate are the main factors that contribute to tool wear of the inserts. The surface finish is found to be independent of the machining parameters and much better than those obtained in the conventional machining...