Optimization of Machining Parameters to Minimize Delamination in the Drilling of Carbon Fiber/Poly(Ether Imide) Composite

Authors

  • Carolina Paiva Nascimento Silva Universidade Federal de São Paulo – Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia – São José dos Campos/SP – Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2869-2411
  • Thiago de Carvalho Silva Instituto Federal de São Paulo – Departamento de Engenharia Mecânica – Itaquaquecetuba/SP – Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3695-8515
  • Marcel Yuzo Kondo Universidade Estadual Paulista – Departamento de Materiais e Tecnologia – Guaratinguetá/SP – Brazil|Universidade Estadual Paulista – Departamento de Engenharia do Instituto de Ciência e Engenharia – Itapeva/SP – Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4925-8195
  • Manoel Cleber Sampaio Alves Universidade Estadual Paulista – Departamento de Materiais e Tecnologia – Guaratinguetá/SP – Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8938-5968
  • Mirabel Cerqueira Rezende Universidade Federal de São Paulo – Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia – São José dos Campos/SP – Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3735-8765

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/jatm.v18.1421

Keywords:

Composite materials, Thermoplastic resins, Carbon fiber, Machining. Drilling, Boundary layer separation

Abstract

Machining composites is more complex than metals due to their non-homogeneous, anisotropic nature and abrasive fibers. The machining process of composites can introduce defects, such as drilling-induced delamination, a critical factor in the rejection of drilled composite components in the aerospace industry and others. Among thermoplastic composites, poly(ether imide) (PEI) stands out for high performance, recyclability, and low cost, and is extensively employed in aerospace applications such as interior panels, structural brackets, and electrical housing. This study examines drilling parameters for carbon fiber/PEI composites to minimize delamination. In this study, four carbide tools with different point angles were tested: two with point angles of 118° and 140°, respectively, both coated with titanium nitride (TiN), one with 90° coated with diamond, and a last one with two point angles of 90° and 118°, without coating. Parameters followed manufacturer recommendations with three rotational speeds (4,000, 6,000, 8,000 rpm) and feed rates (0.025, 0.038, 0.050 mm/rev). Delamination was analyzed via high-resolution optical microscopy and ImageJ 1.54. Analysis of variance and Tukey tests identified optimal conditions. Hole entrance damage depended on rotation speed and tool geometry, with higher speeds causing more damage; the 140° point angle caused less than 118°. At the hole exit, tool type was the main factor, with the diamond tool giving the best finish. Optimal parameters were 4,000 rpm with a diamond tool.


References

Amancio-Filho ST, Roeder J, Nunes SP, Dos Santos JF, Beckmann F (2008) Thermal degradation of polyetherimide joined by friction riveting (FricRiveting). Part I: Influence of rotation speed. Polym Degrad Stab 93(8):1529-1538. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2008.05.019

Ameur MF, Hadj Djilani A, Zitoune R, V K, Sheikh-Ahmad J, Toubal L, Bougherara H (2022) Experimental and numerical investigations of the damages induced while drilling flax/epoxy composite. J Compos Mater 56(2):295-312. https://doi.org/10.1177/00219983211055825

Anarghya A, Harshith DN, Rao N, Nayak NS, Gurumurthy BM, Abhishek VN, Patil IGS (2018) Thrust and torque force analysis in the drilling of aramid fibre-reinforced composite laminates using RSM and MLPNN-GA. Heliyon 4(7). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00703

Asyraf MRM, Ilyas RA, Sapuan SM, Harussani MM, Hariz HM, Aiman JM, Asrofi M (2022) Advanced composite in aerospace applications: opportunities, challenges, and future perspective. Adv Compos Aerosp Eng Appl 471-498. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-88192-4_24

Babu J, Sunny T, Paul NA, Mohan KP, Philip J, Davim JP (2016) Assessment of delamination in composite materials: a review. Proc Inst Mech Eng B J Eng Manuf 230(11):1990-2003. https://doi.org/10.1177/0954405415619343

Biron M (2007) Thermoplastics and thermoplastic composites: technical information for plastics users. Oxford: Elsevier.

Callisaya ES, de Sampaio Alves MC, Kondo MY, Ribeiro MV, Costa ML, Fernandes MF, Botelho EC (2023) Analysis of power consumption during the machining of epoxy based CFRP. Mater Today Commun 37:106993. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtcomm.2023.106993

Cetex® TC 1000 PEI datasheet. https://www.toraytac.com/media/f1142cc2-2c05-4013-afcb-19c937e5c438/ce4IPQ/TAC/Documents/Data_sheets/Thermoplastic/UD%20tapes,%20prepregs%20and%20laminates/Toray-Cetex-TC1000-Premium_PEI_PDS.pdf

Chandrabakty S, Renreng I, Djafar Z, Arsyad H (2019) An optimization of the machining parameters on delamination in drilling ramie woven reinforced composites using Taguchi method. J Phys Conf Ser 1341(5):052005. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1341/5/052005

Chang DY, Lin CH, Wu XY, Yang CC, Chou SC (2023) Cutting force, vibration, and temperature in drilling on a thermoplastic material of PEEK. J Thermoplast Compos Mater 36(3):1088-1112. https://doi.org/10.1177/08927057211052325

Ciecieląg K, Skoczylas A, Matuszak J, Zaleski K, Kęcik K (2021) Defect detection and localization in polymer composites based on drilling force signal by recurrence analysis. Measurement 186:110126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.measurement.2021.110126

De Paula Santos LF, Monticeli FM, Ribeiro B, Costa ML, Alderliesten R, Botelho EC (2023) Does carbon nanotube bucky paper affect mode-I and II interlaminar fracture toughness under quasi-static loading? Compos Struct 323:117507. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2023.117507

Ekici E, Motorcu AR, Polat A (2022) Optimization and alternative image processing approach for the comprehensive assessment of delamination and uncut fiber in drilling fiber metal laminate. J Braz Soc Mech Sci Eng 44(11):502. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40430-022-03806-2

Ekici E, Motorcu AR, Uzun G (2021) Multi-objective optimization of process parameters for drilling fiber-metal laminate using a hybrid GRAPCA approach. FME Trans 49(2).https://doi.org/10.5937/fme2102356E

Ekici E, Motorcu AR, Yıldırım E (2021) An experimental study on hole quality and different delamination approaches in the drilling of CARALL, a new FML composite. FME Trans 49(4). https://doi.org/10.5937/FME2104950E

El Moumen A, Tarfaoui M, Lafdi K (2019) Modelling of the temperature and residual stress fields during 3D printing of polymer composites. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 104:1661-1676. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-019-03965-y

Elfaleh I, Abbassi F, Habibi M, Ahmad F, Guedri M, Nasri M, Garnier C (2023) A comprehensive review of natural fibers and their composites: an eco-friendly alternative to conventional materials. Results Eng 101271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2023.101271

Franke V (2011) Drilling of long fiber reinforced thermoplastics – influence of the cutting edge on the machining results. CIRP Ann 60(1):65-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cirp.2011.03.078

Gaitonde V, Karnik SR, Rubio JC, Correia AE, Abrão AM, Davim JP (2008) Analysis of parametric influence on delamination in high-speed drilling of carbon fiber reinforced plastic composites. J Mater Process Technol 203(1-3):431-438. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2007.10.050

Ge J, Luo M, Zhang D, Catalanotti G, Falzon BG, McClelland J, Sun D (2023) Temperature field evolution and thermalmechanical interaction induced damage in drilling of thermoplastic CF/PEKK–A comparative study with thermoset CF/epoxy. J Manuf Process 88:167-183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmapro.2023.01.042

Geng D, Liu Y, Shao Z, Lu Z, Cai J, Li X, Zhang D (2019) Delamination formation, evaluation and suppression during drilling of composite laminates: a review. Compos Struct 216:168-186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2019.02.099

Heisel U, Pfeifroth T (2012) Influence of point angle on drill hole quality and machining forces when drilling CFRP. Procedia CIRP 1:471-476. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2012.04.084

Hocheng H, Puw HY (1992) On drilling characteristics of fiber-reinforced thermoset and thermoplastics. Int J Mach Tools Manuf 32(4):583-592. https://doi.org/10.1016/0890-6955(92)90047-K

Hocheng H, Pwu HY, Yao KC (1993) Machinability of some fiber-reinforced thermoset and thermoplastics in drilling. Mater Manuf Process 8(6):653-682. https://doi.org/10.1080/10426919308934872

Jayan JS, Appukuttan S, Wilson R, Joseph K, George G, Oksman K (2021) An introduction to fiber reinforced composite materials. Fiber Reinforced Composites 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-821090-1.00025-9

Kesarwani S, Verma RK, Jayswal SC (2023) Evaluation of the cutting force, burr formation, and surface quality during the machining of carbon nanoparticle modified polymer composites for structural applications. Mater Today Commun 34:105375. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtcomm.2023.105375

Kilickap E (2010) Optimization of cutting parameters on delamination based on Taguchi method during drilling of GFRP composite. Expert Syst Appl 37(8):6116-6122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2010.02.023

Kubher S, Gururaja S, Zitoune R (2021) In-situ cutting temperature and machining force measurements during conventional drilling of carbon fiber polymer composite laminates. J Compos Mater 55(20):2807-2822. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021998321998070

Kubher S, Gururaja S, Zitoune R (2022) Coupled thermo-mechanical modeling of drilling of multi-directional polymer matrix composite laminates. Compos Part A Appl Sci Manuf 156:106802. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesa.2022.106802

Kumar G, Rangappa SM, Siengchin S, Zafar S (2022) A review of recent advancements in drilling of fiber-reinforced polymer composites. Compos Part C Open Access 9:100312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomc.2022.100312

Mahesh V, Joladarashi S, Kulkarni SM (2021) A comprehensive review on material selection for polymer matrix composites subjected to impact load. Def Technol 17(1):257-277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dt.2020.04.002

Mathivanan NR, Mahesh BS, Shetty HA (2016) An experimental investigation on the process parameters influencing machining forces during milling of carbon and glass fiber laminates. Measurement 91:39-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.measurement.2016.04.077

Mazoff J (2003) Drill point geometry. ICS Cutting Tools, Inc. https://www.newmantools.com/champ/Drill_Point_Geometry_nt.pdf

McIlhagger A, Archer E, McIlhagger R (2020) Manufacturing processes for composite materials and components for aerospace applications. Polymer Compos Aerospace Ind 59-81. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102679-3.00003-4

Meinhard D, Haeger A, Knoblauch V (2021) Drilling induced defects on carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic polyamide and their effect on mechanical properties. Compos Struct 256:113138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2020.113138

Moussa NB, Sidhom H, Braham C (2012) Numerical and experimental analysis of residual stress and plastic strain distributions in machined stainless steel. Int J Mech Sci 64(1):82-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmecsci.2012.07.011

Nayak BB, Kundu S, Sahu S, Roy S, Das SS (2023) Support vector regression approach for prediction of delamination at entry and exit during drilling of GFRP Composites. E3S Web Conf 391:01162. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202339101162

Nixon-Pearson OJ, Hallett SR, Withers PJ, Rouse J (2013) Damage development in open-hole composite specimens in fatigue. Part 1: Experimental investigation. Compos Struct 106:882-889. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2013.05.033

Ozkan D, Gok MS, Karaoglanli AC (2020) Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite materials, their characteristic properties, industrial application areas and their machinability. Eng Des Appl III Struct Mater Process 235-253. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39062-4_20

Rawal S, Sidpara AM, Paul J (2022) A review on micro machining of polymer composites. J Manuf Process 77:87-113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmapro.2022.03.014

Rubino F, Nisticò A, Tucci F, Carlone P (2020) Marine application of fiber reinforced composites: a review. J Mar Sci Eng 8(1):26. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse8010026

Saoudi J, Zitoune R, Gururaja S, Mezlini S, Hajjaji AA (2016) Prediction of critical thrust force for exit-ply delamination during drilling composite laminates: thermo-mechanical analysis. Int J Mach Machinability Mater 18(1-2):77-98. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJMMM.2016.075464

Saoudi J, Zitoune R, Gururaja S, Salem M, Mezleni S (2018) Analytical and experimental investigation of the delamination during drilling of composite structures with core drill made of diamond grits: X-ray tomography analysis. J Compos Mater 52(10):1281-1294. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021998317724591

Sauer M, Kuhnel MJCC (2019) Composites market report 2019. Carbon Compos 2:1-11. [accessed Jan 6 2025]. https://composites-united.com/media/3988/eng_ccev_market-report_2019_short-version.pdf

Scarselli G, Quan D, Murphy N, Deegan B, Dowling D, Ivankovic A (2021) Adhesion improvement of thermoplastics-based composites by atmospheric plasma and UV treatments. Appl Compos Mater 28(1):71-89. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10443-020-09854-y

Sharma A, Modi S, Bhatla M, Goyal A (2021) Study on machining performance of polymer-based composites by drilling process. Mater Today Proc 47:2878-2882. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.04.046

Shyha IS, Aspinwall DK, Soo SL, Bradley S (2009) Drill geometry and operating effects when cutting small diameter holes in CFRP. Int J Mach Tools Manuf 49(12-13):1008-1014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmachtools.2009.05.009

Silva TC, Moraes DVO, Morgado GFM, Gonçalves VO, Costa DHS, Marques TPZ, Rezende MC (2024) Mechanical characterization and fractographic study of the carbon/PEI composite under static and fatigue loading. Mech Adv Mater Struct 31(6):1291-1299. https://doi.org/10.1080/15376494.2022.2134952

Singh J, Gill SS, Dogra M, Singh R (2021) A review on cutting fluids used in machining processes. Eng Res Express 3(1):012002. https://doi.org/10.1088/2631-8695/abeca0

Toro SA, Ridruejo A, González C, Monclús MA, Fernández-Blázquez JP (2022) Optimization of processing conditions and mechanical properties for PEEK/PEI multilayered blends. Polym 14(21):4597. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14214597

Velayudham A, Krishnamurthy R (2007) Effect of point geometry and their influence on thrust and delamination in drilling of polymeric composites. J Mater Process Technol 185(1-3):204-209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2006.03.146

Wang B, Liu Z, Cai Y, Luo X, Ma H, Song Q, Xiong Z (2021) Advancements in material removal mechanism and surface integrity of high speed metal cutting: a review. Int J Mach Tools Manuf 166:103744. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmachtools.2021.103744

Wu CQ, Gao GL, Li HN, Luo H (2019) Effects of machining conditions on the hole wall delamination in both conventional and ultrasonic-assisted CFRP drilling. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 104:2301-2315. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-019-04052-y

Yu J, Pan Z, Ye W, Li Q, Wu Z (2023) Dynamic temperature field and drilling damage mechanism of plain woven carbon/glass hybrid composites. Compos Struct 304:116375. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2022.116375

Zhang LB, Wang LJ, Liu XY (2001) A mechanical model for predicting critical thrust forces in drilling composite laminates. Proc Inst Mech Eng B J Eng Manuf 215(2):135-146. https://doi.org/10.1243/0954405011515235

Zhang X, Chen J, Li H, Zhu L, Zhou Y, Yan R, Chen M (2025) Research on the thermal-mechanical interaction of the defect evolution and surface generation during the drilling of thermoplastic composites. J Mater Res Technol. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2025.06.127

Zitoune R, Collombet F (2007) Numerical prediction of the thrust force responsible of delamination during the drilling of the long-fibre composite structures. Compos Part A Appl Sci Manuf 38(3):858-866. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesa.2006.07.009

Published

2026-02-23

Issue

Vol. 18 (2026)

Section

Original Paper

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Carolina Paiva Nascimento Silva, Thiago de Carvalho Silva, Marcel Yuzo Kondo, Manoel Cleber Sampaio Alves, Mirabel Cerqueira Rezende

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons — Attribution 4.0 International — CC BY 4.0. Authors are free to Share (copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and Adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially). JATM allow the authors to retain publishing rights without restrictions.